NEW YORK — The vending machine outside Pinch Spice Market dispensing packets of herbs and seasonings isn’t a sales gimmick — it helped cater to customers as the company struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many owners also have made very individual adaptations that not only make sense, but may have permanently altered the way they do business and make money. Some owners who have made dramatic changes find they’re much happier running their companies now. “Slowly, my neighbors around me said, ‘Hey, do you think you could make me a flower arrangement, and make it weekly?’” Greer says. She believes they wanted to support her and were looking to brighten their days.The arrangements brought in money for Greer, who was living off savings. Then she got a surprising number of orders for Mother’s Day. Her retail business took off and, Greer found, was more rewarding.
Business owners expect to make adjustments to their companies and how they operate. And when there’s an extraordinary event, such as the Great Recession, many companies have to seek out new markets, downsize, and change their mix of products or services. But the pandemic was a situation that no one had ever experienced. It forced change upon businesses and industries that had taken their way of working for granted.
Remote sessions also give Alpert more flexibility. He finds the dynamics of remote sessions make them less intense than being one-on-one in his office, and he’s less tired by the end of the day.Eighty percent of Greenbar Distillery’s revenue came from bar and restaurant sales pre-pandemic, with the rest coming from liquor stores. When state and local governments restricted or shut down indoor dining, “it was like someone turned off the light switch,” co-founder Melkon Khosrovian says.
The pandemic forced owner Mel Stutzman to shut down the showroom at Countryside Amish Furniture — as it turns out, much to the benefit of the Arthur, Illinois, manufacturer.