13 Inspiring Small Business Stories We’ve Read Over the Pandemic

Under the weight of the COVID-19 crisis, small businesses are rising up to the challenge and keeping their doors open. Amidst the uncertainty, small businesses are showing unprecedented resilience, compassion, courage, and strength. Not only are they demonstrating how it’s possible to remain open, some are taking even bigger steps to inspire others around them. These small business stories remind us that, more than ever, we’re all in this together.

Below are a few examples of some local businesses going above and beyond to help others. We hope you find them as inspiring as we did:

1. Denver company gives away free eggs for Easter

• Location: Denver, CO
• Source: KDVR / FOX 31
• Summary: Sarah Lair and her team at Five Eggs Meal Delivery have already been hard at work preparing and delivering full meals around the Denver area. After seeing a shortage of eggs at local grocery stores, she “hatched” the idea to give eggs away to families so that children will have eggs to dye and decorate for Easter.

2. Sacramento restaurant donates all of its March profits to help closed eateries

• Location: Sacramento, CA
• Source: GOOD DAY /  The CW 31
• Summary: Sacramento’s first vegan burger shop set up a relief fund using all their profits from the month of March to support other restaurants and eateries in the area who have had to shut their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Local business supports healthcare workers

• Location: Winterville, NC
• Source: The East Carolinian
• Summary: Simple and Sentimental, a personalized gift business, has begun using their laser cutter technology to mass produce face shields and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for hospitals and medical facilities across the United States. They have set up a GoFundMe page to fund their efforts and have already raised over $5,800.

4. Vermont Glove retools to make masks

• Location: Randolph, VT
• Source: WCAX 3
• Summary: Vermont Glove, a 100 year old, family-run leather glove manufacturing business is switching gears and is now focusing on producing cotton face masks in response to the pandemic. Thousands of masks have already been sent all over the country for use by hospitals, law enforcement, and the general public.

5. Small businesses find ways to survive COVID-19 shutdowns

• Location: Camas, WA
• Source: The Camas-Washougal Post Record
• Summary: Small businesses in the town of Camas, WA are coming up with ways to support their community during these challenging times. Papermaker Pride, an apparel business that sells Camas-themed apparel launched a campaign to raise money for local programs and resources that support low-income families. Joe Orlando of the The Electric Panel, a local coworking space, is using his skills and technologies to create a “virtual triage center” for local business owners to virtually meet and discuss ways to identify ways to make it through the pandemic

6. Reno’s weekly kindness report: food for the soul

• Location: Reno, NV
• Source: Reno Gazette Journal
• Summary: Bishan Singh of India Kabab and Curry is serving 100 free meals from 12pm to 3pm each day to anyone in need of a hot meal during the pandemic.

7. Flemington business owner launches online apparel store to benefit local companies

• Location: Flemington, NJ
• Source: NJ.com
• Summary: Brandon Gano of Twisted Ink, a screen printing and embroidery company, recently launched Here for Good Central Jersey. Through his operation, local businesses can reach out and have him create t-shirts with their logo/branding on it for free. He then sells the shirts on the Here for Good Central Jersey and splits the profit with that business.

8. Sign Pro Imaging keeps spirits high with inspiring signs

• Location: Lima, OH
• Source: WLIO News
• Summary: Sign Pro Imaging Inc. created inspiring lawn signs for their local community to keep spirits up during these troubling times. All profits generated from purchases of the sign go towards the local food bank as well as towards purchasing Personal Protective Equipment for local medical personnel.

9. Philly-area organizations inspiring community spirit as COVID-19 cases rise

• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Source: Philly Voice
• Summary: Matt Cahn, co-owner of Middle Child sandwich shop, took to social media to encourage his following to donate so that he could provide free meals to doctors and nurses helping the fight against the Coronavirus in nearby hospitals. So far he has raised over $15,000 in donations and has been able to keep his employees on and continue to provide meals to front line medical workers. You can donate to help Matt and Middle Child continue their efforts through Venmo by using this link or through the Venmo App to the username @middlechildphilly.

10. Downtown restaurant spreading hope with inspirational wall

• Location: Bakersfield, CA
• Source: 23 ABC
• Summary: Locale Farm to Table, a local restaurant in Bakersfield, CA,  started an inspirational sticky note wall in their restaurant to allow customers to provide messages of hope and support to others coming in to pick up their takeout orders.

11. Navarre Hair Studio re-opens for a day to cut hair for first responders

• Location: Navarre, FL
• Source: ABC 3 WEARTV
• Summary: After weeks of being closed due to pandemic restrictions, Chuck and Halsey Cruies of Cruies & Co. Hair Studio opened for one day to provide free haircuts for first responders in the surrounding area.

12. Tucson is clearly a town of innovators. Here are 5 inspiring local business pivots

• Location: Tucson, AZ
• Source: tucson.com
• Summary: Here are 5 local businesses in Tucson, AZ that are stepping up and aiding their community by providing art supplies for pickup, offering “surprise” book bundles, a local toy store switching to e-Commerce and providing free shipping, a produce business owner delivering fresh produce right to residents’ doors, and a local cinema allowing people to rent recently released movies.

13. Local business woman gives out free soap to those in need during Coronavirus pandemic

• Location: Indianapolis, IN
• Source: WTHR / NBC 13
• Summary: Victoria Thomas-Bodie, owner of The Pink Tub, make organic soaps and lotions and is now giving them out for free to help individuals in her local community stay safe and healthy during the pandemic.

We’re all coping with a lot right now. As a result, how small businesses connect with their community is more important now than it ever was. If you have an inspiring story you’d like to share, please contact us on Twitter or Facebook. We’d love to hear what your small business is doing to help the local community.