PERRYSBURG, Ohio — The coronavirus pandemic has forced many businesses to change to online or contactless options. And some have actually seen better than expected success.
"There's a lot of things that I didn't even realize you would have to handle," Bloom Boutique owner Mara Grothaus said. "I feel like every day there's something new."
And to make things worse for Grothaus, a fire destroyed her dream shop in Columbus Grove earlier this month. But Grothaus has remained positive after receiving so much community support in the form of a GoFundMe and other community fundraisers.
"It's overwhelming in the best way," she said. "I know that sounds really odd. You know we've been on GoFundMe before but on a different side so it's weird to be on this side of it."
She was supposed to open her shop in March, but then the pandemic hit. She delayed the opening until May and switched everything online instead. And she's found success working from behind a screen.
"It's really common to have an online boutique now," she said. "I just noticed it this year, I've known three different people open online boutiques. So I think the biggest hurdle is just the competition aspect."
Other places like takeout restaurants have invested in online or app-based ordering as well. Balance Pan-Asian Grille has an efficient curbside operation at several locations. It includes designated parking spots, a number to text and in-app rewards.
"Once we got the system down," Balance owner CJ Jang, "and we invested more money into the actual app system instead of just doing the phone calls and curbside, I think that was the icing on the cake that really worked out for us."
Jang has chosen to keep his indoor dining closed for now to keep his employees safe. He says it's more important than ever this year to support your local establishments. And he says maybe that means learning how to use an app or go online.
"This is survival phase right now," he said, "and as long as we can get through it as a group effort, we'll only come out stronger and that's what I'm looking forward too."
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