While the “stay-at-home” mandate is in effect, local businesses are suffering. But they need our help to weather the storm. Here are 5 easy ways to safely support local businesses. 

In the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing mandate, small businesses are getting the brunt of the economic hit. Many businesses that rely mostly on in-person sales have had to cease operations altogether in the midst of the public health emergency. A few weeks without sales can be devastating, even fatal, to a small business—and we’re a few weeks into this thing already, with no clear end in sight. Although the City and the State are doing their best to support small businesses and gig workers with grants and stimulus checks, local businesses won’t be able to make it through this on benefits alone. These five easy steps can help support local businesses. 

According to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, 44 percent of U.S. economic activity comes from small businesses—and in New Mexico, small businesses (with fewer than 500 employees) employ about 334,945 people. When you buy from small businesses, you’re directly supporting the cornerstones of our communities. Entrepreneurs and small business owners need help keeping their lights on now more than ever.

Which is why it’s on all of us to support local businesses as best we can—in safe and healthy ways. While we can’t go out to our favorite bars and restaurants now or shop at our favorite stores, we can continue to support them, to help make sure they pull through. Though a lot of us are cash-strapped these days, even small acts like sharing posts about a special sale somebody’s having can help small businesses during this time of uncertainty. 

1) Buy gift cards

One way to support businesses that have had to close their doors over the past few weeks is to buy gift cards or certificates, which you can save for a later, more placid time. When businesses reopen later this year, you’ll have a stash of credit to use there, and you’ll have helped them make it through the lean months. Check out the Buy for Tomorrow Today database, put together by the New Mexico Economic Development Department, which lists local businesses and the ways you can buy gift cards from them—as well as other ways you can support them right now. Plenty of businesses that didn’t offer gift cards before are making them available now, so check in with your favorite spots to see if they’re selling them.

2) Shop local—online

Just about every Albuquerque business has some kind of web presence, and many retail businesses are selling online for delivery or pick-up. But even businesses that didn’t have online sales before are adapting to the times and making their wares available online by delivery or pick-up. Some, like Organic Books in Nob Hill, have gone the affiliate shopping route through Bookshop.org—whenever you buy a book on Bookshop.org through Organic Book’s link, they’ll get a percentage of the sale. So before you purchase your next item on Amazon, check if there is a local business offering it and order directly from them. 

The Albuquerque Downtown Growers’ Market has been postponed until May (and some farms are postponing their participation further, for health and safety concerns), but they’ve joined the online shopping bandwagon, too. They are offering a pre-order pick-up service during the remaining Saturdays in April: they link you up with individual vendors to place a la carte orders on produce and farm goods, and you can pick up your bundled order at Fusion Theatre on Saturday. This option allows customers to use SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks at pick-up, too.

3) Order take-out and delivery

Lots of restaurants are still open for take-out and delivery, and we’re all likely getting a little tired of our own cooking. Whether you’re craving pad thai or a green chile cheeseburger, you can safely order dishes from your favorite restaurants—the FDA has said that, as long as restaurants are following regular food safety handling procedures, there’s very little risk of transmitting the virus that way. 

Most restaurants operating now have a modified menu and hours, so check their social media or give them a call before placing an order. Delivery services like Doordash, Grubhub, and Postmates are offering no-contact delivery options, and many restaurants are offering their own delivery service or no-contact curbside pickup as well. Uber Eats is also offering free delivery during COVID-19. To see who’s open and operating, check edible New Mexico’s “support local” database of restaurants, farms, and food retail businesses.

Since the governor’s “stay-at-home” mandate, The Shop Breakfast and Lunch has been offering take-out on all their regular menu options, as well as dinner options a few nights a week. Check out their Instagram or Facebook page to see what the upcoming dinner entree is, and send them a message to place an order. “[We’re also] offering our bulk handmade items through the Vida Verde CSA. Our chicken stock, jam, chile, and pickles,” says Chef Israel Rivera at The Shop. 

4) Check out online events

Some businesses have adapted quickly by putting their events and classes online; at least as much as they’re able. Gyms and yoga studios like Sani Yoga have abbreviated online class schedules available, so you can stay fit and sane during quarantine. But for businesses whose main service is in-person group events, this is going to be an even harder challenge, especially since people aren’t used to paying for online content. Keeping their instructors paid and ensuring the studio can reopen its doors after quarantine is their main priority.

5) Ask!

Right now, a lot of business owners are stuck at home with less work than they’d like. Many of them are trying to roll with the punches and introduce new, no-contact ways to deliver their services and products. But, just like the rest of us, they’re all in uncharted waters, and could use a little extra help and understanding.

So if you want to know the best ways to support their business in this moment, you can generally just reach out and ask. They might need some help spreading the word about their online sales or their new delivery service, or they might be looking for stories from their customers to post on their social media. Maybe they need a UX designer to work on their new web store, and maybe you just happen to know one who’d be willing to help out. Community is the greatest resource available to local businesses right now.

Many, many businesses will close in the coming weeks and months—it’s a sad but inevitable truth. So if there are some in Albuquerque that you’d like to see make it through this emergency, now is the time to show your support. The community that bands together in times of crisis will be that much stronger when the danger has passed.

CONNECT THE DOTS: 

City Alive is a collective impact initiative that spans 18 organizations across Albuquerque that want to support homegrown businesses the best we can. Learn more about us here.