Back in March when businesses were forced to close, small businesses took a big hit. While large big box stores like Target and Walmart were able to remain open, restaurants and small businesses were forced to close, not only by the government but because they simply did not have the means to remain open without a steady stream of customers. 

This meant money was directly out of the pockets of small business owners due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now small businesses are working hard to adapt to a new way of business to ensure they can continue to thrive and compete against big business. 

Many Reynolds students have been continuing to work at many local businesses and have even been given additional hours due to many other employees receiving loans so they would not have to work and be able to care for their families following the shutdown of businesses. 

“The most challenging thing from my point of view has been trying to continue to make money and keep people on payroll, while also not exposing anyone to COVID-19,” senior Finn Giegengack said. “Earlier in the summer, there was a scare at the restaurant [The Porch] where someone had been exposed but luckily my mom [owner Claire Calvin] had started a savings for such a scenario and was able to close the restaurant for two weeks while keeping everyone on payroll.”

The Porch, located just down the street from the Reynolds gym, has been able to adapt their business strategies and enact new changes to ensure that they can continue to bring in business, including new catering at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, increased outdoor seating and a large takeout and delivery operation. 

“One thing that has changed that I think will be lasting is that we have moved much of our seating outdoors and devoted space inside to making to-go orders,” Giegengack said. “The outdoor seating is nice and people like it, although we will have to see how it goes through the winter.”

Despite the struggles of small businesses through this pandemic, some new businesses have still been able to open and grow. Rob and McCall Richardson opened Smoke City Meats over Memorial Day weekend about eight weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic. 

They are located on Reynolda Road, just across the street from the RJ Reynolds baseball field and Hanes Park. Smoke City Meats is a local butcher that works hard to provide locally sourced, high quality meat to the Winston-Salem community. However every dream still comes with its fair share of challenges.

“We did a couple of years worth of research to make sure we were sourcing the very best North Carolina has to offer,” owner Rob Richardson said. “Additionally, we hired the best team who all had the same goal of making Winston-Salem a better place for us all. There are so many unanticipated things that come up it is sometimes hard to manage but the Winston-Salem community is so giving and helpful with any questions we had during the process. I would say the most difficult part of opening was just having patience as things are not moving as fast as we as owners would like.”

While Smoke City Meats has still been able to grow, the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed the way that they must do business.

“Given we opened in the middle of Covid, we had to take measures to protect our staff and customers,” Richardson said. “This meant limiting the number of people in the store and making sure masks and hand sanitizer were available at all times.  We have found that the community is so supportive and receptive to these matters as we are all in this together.”

Throughout this pandemic, many have realized how important it is to shop small and support the local businesses instead of the giant one-stop-shop stores that were allowed to remain open regardless of the pandemic.

“I think it is always important to support your local community and keep the support in Winston-Salem,” Richardson said. “The Covid crisis has taught everyone that slowing down and enjoying the people you have in your life can be so rewarding. What better way than to share a meal that can be obtained organically and gathered locally, guaranteeing freshness and high nutritional value.”