2020 has been a tough year for a lot of people, but believe it or not there have been some businesses and other activities that have really thrived this year.
Public parks have seen a boost, with visitors nonstop throughout the pandemic. Back when things were mostly shut down, public parks stayed open and quickly became a place people could safely go and let off some steam.
Representatives with Metroparks Toledo say visitors more than doubled this year compared to last year.
"Some weeks they were busy, like 60% busier than the year before. So we should easily top 6 million visits this year," said Scott Carpenter with Metroparks Toledo.
Another industry that saw a huge uptick in business in 2020 was home fitness equipment.
"In 19 years of business, we've honestly never seen anything like this," said Jen Jeffery, manager of American Home Fitness in Sylvania.
Jeffery said back in March when gyms closed, they immediately got requests for small pieces of equipment. Throughout the year, customers have committed to bigger purchases like spin bikes and treadmills.
"People just need to re-organize their workout routines and prioritize their fitness," she said.
Perhaps one of the biggest things to thrive in 2020 was alcohol sales. David Joseph owns Joseph's Beverage Center in west Toledo and says keeping the shelves fully stocked is almost impossible this year.
"Everything is selling! There's not one thing that is not selling," said Joseph.
With many people becoming their own bartenders at home, his store has seen nothing but success. Customers are not just buying alcohol, but everything else that goes with it.
"Sales have really increased quite a bit during the pandemic, especially since bars have closed. The new shakers and the stirrers and the shot glasses and all those items were included in all the sales," he said.
So whatever 2021 brings us, cheers to a year of making it work as best we can.