With September comes an important focus on Small Business Week and an opportunity for renewed commitments to support local businesses.
Although the economy in Pittsburgh has shifted toward recovery, the rising number of covid-19 cases has generated a gnawing sense of concern among small businesses and independent retailers. Many have reopened or restructured, but the reality is our businesses have been forever altered by the pandemic.
Adapting has become the name of the game. From restaurants to bakeries and food trucks, small-business owners have learned to shift, pivot and develop entirely new business models in response to the pandemic. It also has led many of us into a new world of digital marketing.
Forced to rely heavily on an online presence, local businesses like mine have put a renewed focus on their websites and learned the power of influencing/marketing through consistent brand messaging through social media.
After spending significant time as a large-scale retail buyer and as an interior designer, I envisioned my passions and skill set coming together under one roof. In 2013, I founded Splurge. It was, and still is, my mission to help people outfit their home into a favorite place to spend their time as well as a resource to find thoughtfully curated gifts for others.
From the time of our grand opening, our business was adopted by the community with vigor, and we saw strong traffic in our retail space eventually forcing us to expand and move. Because our business is highly visual, we began using Facebook and Instagram tools to grow our presence, publicize events and showcase stunning new products.
Then came covid-19. During this challenging time, we made shifts to advertising as well as product assortment in order to sustain our business model. While nothing compares to the experience of being in our retail space, we invested heavily in Facebook and Instagram tools to showcase collections of our favorite new offerings.
We also offered customers the ability to have Face-time shopping tours of the store for merchandise not found on our website or social media.
We found that during the shutdown, one of the only connections that people had to the outside world was through social media. We relied solely on Facebook and Instagram tools during that time to connect with our customers by posting videos, stories and posts about new products that we were getting as well as the options of free home delivery and curbside pickup.
We also ran Facebook and Instagram ads in an effort to further expand our reach to potential online customers. But it wasn’t all about selling. We made an extra effort to have an emotional human connection with our neighbors for a shared problem. We posted uplifting images and words, as well as sharing our own covid recipes, to help our friends pass the time.
As things slowly opened up, we noticed customers enjoying happy run-ins with friends and acquaintances in our shop and pausing for five to 10 minutes to enjoy personal interactions we had lost with restaurant closings. Our store became a hub. Many people remarked how they had no desire to go back to a mall for a myriad of reasons and that they took comfort in finding what they wanted and needed locally in one place.
The last year has transformed my small business. Today, I’m excited for the coming holiday season and proud of my business and my team. We are grateful for the strong connections we have in our community. We know our customers, their names, their families and friends, their preferences, their stories, and we continue to use Facebook and Instagram to stay connected.
This September, as our nation focuses on small businesses and their importance in our community, please support local retailers and shop locally whenever possible. Now, more than ever, we need support from our residents and customers to sustain what we have slowly worked to rebuild.
No matter how much has changed, one thing remains the same: Small businesses are the backbone of thriving communities.
Kym Pelcher is the owner of Splurge in O’Hara Township.
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September 18, 2021 at 10:01PM
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Op/Ed: Continued support needed for small businesses and independent retailers - TribLIVE
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