By Lia Klebanov and Macy Li with additional reporting by Madhavi Karthik, Karuna Chandran and Ritaja Subrahmanya
Adapting to the COVID-19 regulations, both on a financial and personal level, has proven to be a difficult task for small business owners since the start of the pandemic.
In March 2020, hairstylist and owner of Chromatic Theory, Stephanie Corpus, said in a Zoom interview she faced many struggles with providing for herself and maintaining her previous ways of life. Corpus said moving in with her parents before the pandemic alleviated some stress, but still left her with other difficulties.
Starting her business in 2018 allowed Corpus to build a name for herself before the pandemic hit. While her loyal list of clientele was eager for her to re-open the salon, it was important that it was done under safe conditions, Corpus said.
“Nobody has access to getting their hair cut or their hair colored,” Corpus said. “I've been getting tons of messages and text[s] from my clients about how desperate they are, and they can't wait for me to open up again. I know I'm going to be booked when I come back — it’s just a lot of holding on to the income that I had, just building up my savings.”
Around 163,735 small businesses have been forced to close due to the pandemic, according to a report by Yelp. 32,000 restaurants have been shut down since the beginning of COVID-19, with 61% risking permanent closures, Forbes reported.
For many local farmer’s market workers, the pandemic has reshaped their businesses, leading them to adapt to the CDC’s guidelines by implementing safety measures. Yet, many have continued to operate efficiently throughout the pandemic.
“We now have to do a lot of sanitizing and social distancing,” Kelly Rodriguez, a worker at Montebello Farms said in a Zoom interview. “When [the pandemic] hit, our customers weren’t allowed to all come in our tent at once.”
Rodriguez said the majority of people prefer shopping at farmers’ markets instead of grocery stores, due to a fear of contamination and crowds. Additionally, she said many customers feel more comfortable in the outdoor environment of farmers’ markets — a trend that Eric Arias, a worker at Castellano’s Super Sweet Farms, said he has also noticed.
“[Sales] have really increased, since a lot of people are less likely to go to the grocery store because it’s indoors and the farmer’s market is in an open setting,” Arias said in a Zoom interview.
He said numerous customers have become more cautious about their health, and they are hoping to consume fresher fruits and vegetables, which farmers’ markets offer. Similar to Arias, employee Jennifer Smith said she has also noticed a growth in customer involvement at her farmer’s market, largely as a result of community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs.
“Back in March of 2020 when the shelter-in-place went down, we saw basically a 100% increase in signups for the home delivery CSA program,” Smith said in a Zoom interview. “So that’s kept Spade and Plow [our market] really busy this year.”
While her home delivery operations have skyrocketed, Smith said the pandemic has caused the revenue from wholesale and restaurant outlets to decrease. Regardless, Smith said she is grateful her farm did not suffer as much as others.
“We’re lucky in that we have these three outlets, and we’ve been able to shift a little bit easier,” Smith said. “We feel lucky that we’ve had that infrastructure, to begin with, because it didn’t impact us as much as it impacted other farms.”
In regard to CSA programs, Rodriguez said she too experienced similar challenges and impacts at Montebello Farms. Luckily, more CSA companies, along with the farmers’ market community, have helped her distribute enough products to customers.
“I lost restaurants and contracts because restaurants had to close, but I also gained CSA companies because they buy, produce and deliver to families,” Rodriguez said. “The community has been really supportive, and it’s great that we have these outdoor venues [where] people are able to buy their weekly vegetables.”
Both Rodriguez and Smith said the widespread support within their community has kept their businesses afloat and allowed them to maintain adequate levels of production. In addition, support from customers has helped their farmers’ markets grow in a multitude of different aspects.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of the farm operations at this time because we’re growing in a lot of ways,” Smith said. “We’ve grown a lot interpersonally, and we’ve streamlined a lot of our operations to support the shift in the growth we’ve seen.”
Along with these workers, Leah Shanson, an employee at Little Sky Bakery, said she hopes to continue her job throughout the pandemic. She said she loves running her business and looks forward to her involvement in the tight-knit community.
“Farmers’ markets are such an incredible community, and there is something really lovely about getting that face to face contact,” Shanson said. “The markets are lovely. The weather is beautiful, it’s an open-air market, and everyone is wearing masks.”
Like farmers’ market workers, Priti Narayanan, the co-founder of Koolfi Creamery, an ice cream business incorporating South Indian influence on their products, has also been widely affected by COVID-19.
“We really care about what we make, and we don't put [anything] out that we don't absolutely enjoy,” Narayanan said. “So the research and the testing take a while, just because we want to get the product right.”
Narayanan said interacting with customers is her favorite part of her job, and she enjoys receiving feedback on her products. Whether it be small or major, with this feedback Narayanan said she has always been able to alter her merchandise and gain the satisfaction of all her customers in a simple way. However, with COVID-19, in-person interaction has been limited and changing the recipes without any input is much harder.
“We went from selling scoops to people and enjoying that interaction to just [leaving] ice cream in stores and not seeing our customers at all. The only interaction we get is online, or when I go to deliver ice cream. We want to, at some point, meet our customers and ask them [about our products],” Narayanan said. “[Another] challenge has been our sourcing ingredients, because we make Indian flavors. A lot of the spices come from India and all over the world. That trade has been affected because of COVID, so it's been very challenging to consistently find quality product[s].”
Koolfi Creamery is typically closed during the winter and begins operating again in March, Narayanan said. Shortly after Koolfi Creamery reopened last year, the pandemic spread to the U.S. and forced the business to shut down. Prioritizing the customers, Narayanan said she did not want to risk anyone’s safety, so she chose to keep her business closed until the CDC presented everyone with guidelines on how to operate responsibly.
Looking at the bright side has proved to be challenging this year, Narayanan said, but she is still passionate about what she does, regardless of how difficult the circumstances may be.
“I wouldn't say this was a great year at all. We're trying to not drown,” Narayanan said. “We're trying to hold on and survive. Even though we've got a lot of good publicity [and a] lot more customer reach, we're also putting out a product that's not [as] profitable, so it's been challenging.”
In March 2020, hairstylist and owner of Chromatic Theory, Stephanie Corpus, said in a Zoom interview she faced many struggles with providing for herself and maintaining her previous ways of life. Corpus said moving in with her parents before the pandemic alleviated some stress, but still left her with other difficulties.
Starting her business in 2018 allowed Corpus to build a name for herself before the pandemic hit. While her loyal list of clientele was eager for her to re-open the salon, it was important that it was done under safe conditions, Corpus said.
“Nobody has access to getting their hair cut or their hair colored,” Corpus said. “I've been getting tons of messages and text[s] from my clients about how desperate they are, and they can't wait for me to open up again. I know I'm going to be booked when I come back — it’s just a lot of holding on to the income that I had, just building up my savings.”
Around 163,735 small businesses have been forced to close due to the pandemic, according to a report by Yelp. 32,000 restaurants have been shut down since the beginning of COVID-19, with 61% risking permanent closures, Forbes reported.
For many local farmer’s market workers, the pandemic has reshaped their businesses, leading them to adapt to the CDC’s guidelines by implementing safety measures. Yet, many have continued to operate efficiently throughout the pandemic.
“We now have to do a lot of sanitizing and social distancing,” Kelly Rodriguez, a worker at Montebello Farms said in a Zoom interview. “When [the pandemic] hit, our customers weren’t allowed to all come in our tent at once.”
Rodriguez said the majority of people prefer shopping at farmers’ markets instead of grocery stores, due to a fear of contamination and crowds. Additionally, she said many customers feel more comfortable in the outdoor environment of farmers’ markets — a trend that Eric Arias, a worker at Castellano’s Super Sweet Farms, said he has also noticed.
“[Sales] have really increased, since a lot of people are less likely to go to the grocery store because it’s indoors and the farmer’s market is in an open setting,” Arias said in a Zoom interview.
He said numerous customers have become more cautious about their health, and they are hoping to consume fresher fruits and vegetables, which farmers’ markets offer. Similar to Arias, employee Jennifer Smith said she has also noticed a growth in customer involvement at her farmer’s market, largely as a result of community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs.
“Back in March of 2020 when the shelter-in-place went down, we saw basically a 100% increase in signups for the home delivery CSA program,” Smith said in a Zoom interview. “So that’s kept Spade and Plow [our market] really busy this year.”
While her home delivery operations have skyrocketed, Smith said the pandemic has caused the revenue from wholesale and restaurant outlets to decrease. Regardless, Smith said she is grateful her farm did not suffer as much as others.
“We’re lucky in that we have these three outlets, and we’ve been able to shift a little bit easier,” Smith said. “We feel lucky that we’ve had that infrastructure, to begin with, because it didn’t impact us as much as it impacted other farms.”
In regard to CSA programs, Rodriguez said she too experienced similar challenges and impacts at Montebello Farms. Luckily, more CSA companies, along with the farmers’ market community, have helped her distribute enough products to customers.
“I lost restaurants and contracts because restaurants had to close, but I also gained CSA companies because they buy, produce and deliver to families,” Rodriguez said. “The community has been really supportive, and it’s great that we have these outdoor venues [where] people are able to buy their weekly vegetables.”
Both Rodriguez and Smith said the widespread support within their community has kept their businesses afloat and allowed them to maintain adequate levels of production. In addition, support from customers has helped their farmers’ markets grow in a multitude of different aspects.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of the farm operations at this time because we’re growing in a lot of ways,” Smith said. “We’ve grown a lot interpersonally, and we’ve streamlined a lot of our operations to support the shift in the growth we’ve seen.”
Along with these workers, Leah Shanson, an employee at Little Sky Bakery, said she hopes to continue her job throughout the pandemic. She said she loves running her business and looks forward to her involvement in the tight-knit community.
“Farmers’ markets are such an incredible community, and there is something really lovely about getting that face to face contact,” Shanson said. “The markets are lovely. The weather is beautiful, it’s an open-air market, and everyone is wearing masks.”
Like farmers’ market workers, Priti Narayanan, the co-founder of Koolfi Creamery, an ice cream business incorporating South Indian influence on their products, has also been widely affected by COVID-19.
“We really care about what we make, and we don't put [anything] out that we don't absolutely enjoy,” Narayanan said. “So the research and the testing take a while, just because we want to get the product right.”
Narayanan said interacting with customers is her favorite part of her job, and she enjoys receiving feedback on her products. Whether it be small or major, with this feedback Narayanan said she has always been able to alter her merchandise and gain the satisfaction of all her customers in a simple way. However, with COVID-19, in-person interaction has been limited and changing the recipes without any input is much harder.
“We went from selling scoops to people and enjoying that interaction to just [leaving] ice cream in stores and not seeing our customers at all. The only interaction we get is online, or when I go to deliver ice cream. We want to, at some point, meet our customers and ask them [about our products],” Narayanan said. “[Another] challenge has been our sourcing ingredients, because we make Indian flavors. A lot of the spices come from India and all over the world. That trade has been affected because of COVID, so it's been very challenging to consistently find quality product[s].”
Koolfi Creamery is typically closed during the winter and begins operating again in March, Narayanan said. Shortly after Koolfi Creamery reopened last year, the pandemic spread to the U.S. and forced the business to shut down. Prioritizing the customers, Narayanan said she did not want to risk anyone’s safety, so she chose to keep her business closed until the CDC presented everyone with guidelines on how to operate responsibly.
Looking at the bright side has proved to be challenging this year, Narayanan said, but she is still passionate about what she does, regardless of how difficult the circumstances may be.
“I wouldn't say this was a great year at all. We're trying to not drown,” Narayanan said. “We're trying to hold on and survive. Even though we've got a lot of good publicity [and a] lot more customer reach, we're also putting out a product that's not [as] profitable, so it's been challenging.”
