The “new” normal

We are headed to the second half of February; can spring be far behind? For farmers and growers the busy season has begun, with the harbingers of new lambs and kids heralding the season, not to mention the flocks of robins and those sunny-faced dandelions. As an advocate for small businesses, as you get the urge to be outdoors and digging in the earth, remember our local nurseries and garden centers. They know what grows in our area and when to plant. Shop local, it’s the neighborly thing to do.

And with the spring we will see more widespread vaccinations, more pleasant days to be outdoors, and an easing of the restrictions which have so upset our daily routines. We still have some rainy days ahead during which we should ponder the past year and what lies ahead.

In our personal lives we have learned to work at home, despite many obstacles. We have become unwitting and sometimes unwilling teachers’ aides as our children were schooled at home. We have attended church on Zoom and shopped for groceries on the internet. We are masters of the drive-through and something called BOPIS (buy online pick-up in store).

As we approach nearly a year of life during the time of the coronavirus, some of these new behaviors have become so familiar that we may not want to give them up. Some behaviors we will gleefully abandon. And what this means to small businesses is what we and they must begin to consider.

Most of you with children look forward to return to “normal” school routines, where children have daily social interaction and regular after-school activities. And this will be a welcome return to normal for dance schools and karate dojos and sports of all sorts and the accompanying cheer teams, as well as the providers of after-school child care. But how have you been challenging your children during these at-home times? Were you taking part in virtual music lessons or art programs or ordering kits for projects to do at home? Were these resources provided by entrepreneurs who saw opportunities and new markets? Will you continue to support those businesses, at least in some way?

If you are working from home, what are your employer’s long-range plans? If you will return to the workplace will you be grabbing lunch at the sandwich shop you used to frequent? Is it still there, or did it fall victim to the loss of business from you and your colleagues this past almost-year? And what about your work wardrobe – will you be shopping for fresh work clothes at your favorite store or will it be another visit to Amazon? Do you miss the interaction with your local retailer and the helpful comments on color and fit and alterations, or are you now okay with the free shipping and easy returns policy of the online merchandiser? Has your favorite men’s clothier or shoe store closed due to the stresses of the past year? Some retailers nearing retirement have found the pandemic was just the last sign that it was time to make that difficult decision. What would you patronize as a replacement business in their location?

How have you been eating lately? Are you calling in meal orders and picking them up at dinnertime? Are you eager to go back to dining out or is it convenient to grab the full meal and get home and kick off your shoes and relax? What does this mean to your favorite restaurants? Do they need to begin re-hiring wait-staff or retain their curbside delivery runners? What about your grocery shopping – will you revert to cruising the aisles and grabbing impulse products or have you discovered you are saving money by not succumbing to the temptations at the ends of the aisles? What will this mean to your food retailer? Or have you discovered alternative food sources, small business online farmers who will deliver fresh meats, produce, milk and eggs to you so you can avoid the dreaded big-box grocer? Will you continue that practice or does the farmer need to seek new buyers soon?

Already many small businesses are experimenting with new normal plans. Some small town governments and civic organizations are joining in these efforts. In Newberry, something called First Friday is slowly taking root. The rainy winter weather was not cooperative for December and January, but Friday, February 5 was a relatively balmy winter evening. Main Street was blocked off and people were strolling downtown, including people with tots in actual strollers. More places will be open as weather improves, and more tables will be in the street for safer fresh-air dining with friends. More shops will figure out how to place merchandise on the sidewalks (doesn’t everyone love a sidewalk sale). From 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. there was a happy vibe in the air, encouraged by strings of lights in front of Steelhorse Smokehouse and open shop doors and music floating in the air.

While it is still not wise to host a huge event with throngs of people jostling in lines, this neighborly atmosphere is a welcome alternative to hunkering down at home. And there are even more options as good weather encourages use of the new Recreation Center and the regular Saturday bike rides continue to draw new riders. These are family friendly rides on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. with the fearless leader at Bike Baby. What else would be fun?

What can other communities in our small county support? What small business needs to start up, not as a pipe dream, but with reasonable expectations of success in our rural market? What can we as local residents and consumers do to encourage and support the small businesses we know and love and encourage the ones we have yet to meet. Share a good idea, take the plunge into entrepreneurship yourself or encourage new start-ups as they launch. Facebook pages such as Newberry Now and the City of Newberry and other good pages will keep you informed. Be sure your town is sharing its news. Take a little drive to support each other – we are all working together for good.