Pooja Shaunak
Reporter
It is easy to see the pandemic’s impact on individuals’ mental health, jobs, education and physical health. It is harder to see the challenges it has posed to small businesses in the last year, when many of them were forced to scale back or even close for periods of time.
Small businesses in the Columbus area have definitely faced great challenges during COVID-19. There have been a few that closed because of not having enough income since quarantines and social distancing rules began. However, there are some businesses that are thriving thanks to the loyalty of their customers, new marketing techniques and the determination of their owners.
Among the hardest-hit businesses in the last year were restaurants and coffee shops. While most had to close for some amount of time, they managed to shift to online ordering and to-go orders so they could continue serving their customers.
Beans and Cream, also known as Southbound Coffee, is one local small businesses that is still thriving. Fields Ferguson, the store’s manager, says that Beans and Cream started in the early 2000s, and the roasted-coffee side, known as Southbound Coffee, launched in 2017. Fields says that customers remained loyal during the pandemic, continuing to order and buy products in the shop’s drive-through, but the staff missed having customers come inside and interact with them.
Now that customers may enjoy coffee and ice cream inside again, people are starting to gather, study and even reserve tables for card games. However, some people are still hesitant to come into the lobby. Fields says that some elderly customers still haven’t returned since the business had to close for a few weeks during last spring. Because the city still has a mask mandate in place and social distancing is encouraged, Fields says the business’ main goal is to make sure the guests are comfortable, having fun and are respectful of government rules and regulations. People have lost loved ones, and Fields says it is always important to make sure the staff are encouraging to the guests. In addition to the drive through and inside lobby, Beans and Cream launched an online ordering service and will be launching an app soon. Online ordering was in the planning before COVID-19, but the pandemic pushed them to do it faster to keep their customers safe. As Beans and Cream is growing, Fields hopes to have a rebranding party in April to showcase their coffee and shaved ice truck.
One small business that got its start in the middle of the pandemic is Nutrigroove. Nutrigroove is in Starkville and is owned by Hannah Elizabeth Baird. Baird is the owner, operator, and barista of the food truck that sits in the Little Dooey’s parking lot. Baird is a graduate of The W, where she earned an accounting degree. Baird open Nutrigrove in September 2020 after returning from a senior trip to Hawaii. While there, she fell in love with acai bowls and immediately knew what she wanted to do in her life. In addition to acai bowls, Nutrigroove offers healthy, high quality, nutritious and aesthetically pleasing food options. Opening in September 2020 was not the original plan — Baird wanted to launch in summer of 2020, but the paperwork took much longer than anticipated. She built her customer base during COVID-19 through social media by touting the open-seating area in front of her food truck and the dog-friendly environment. Although Baird is the main owner and staff of Nutrigroove, she had help from the community, her friends, her father, and the Wood family from Little Dooey’s. Nutrigroove can be found through its website, nutrigrove.online or on Instagram at nutrigrovelove.
Another small local company doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar location, but operates as an online business. Melissa Tennison owns the company 3 Mile Lane Co. Although Tennison has help from her husband, she does everything from product creation to packaging. Tennison quit her 9-5 job right when the pandemic hit in early 2020 after deciding that she wanted to do something more creative. This was a risky move, but Tennison knew she was not meant to just be in an office. She decided to take the jump, with her husband and newborn son, to launch 3 Mile Lane Co. The company has a website, 3milelaneco.com and that is where most of her products are purchased.
Because Tennison’s biggest marketing platform is TikTok, the viral videos bring in a lot of sales, and sometimes even up to 150 visitors on her site. Tennison received her bachelors degree in small business management, and she is now putting it to use. She is determined to “manifest the life she craves.” 3 Mile Lane Co. offers several items, including stationery, stickers, tumblers and even coaching, which was a program launched during the pandemic. She acknowledges that many people have lost their jobs during the pandemic, so she wanted to educate those who have always wanted to make custom stickers, custom tumblers and more. Tennison has plans to launch new products, pop-up shops, and more coaching classes as the pandemic begins to ebb, and she encourages anyone who has a dream to follow it if they have the means.
COVID-19 has taken a toll on small businesses, but they are fighting every day to stay open and be there for customers. Cities around the nation are encouraging people to support local companies and small businesses during the pandemic. These business owners say they appreciate those efforts, and they are looking forward to returning to business as usual.