BUFFALO, N.Y. — COVID-19 is making the holiday season a challenging one, especially for shoppers.
With the CDC advising shoppers to avoid big crowds this upcoming Black Friday, and any other day of the week for that matter, local businesses in Western New York and throughout the country are getting creative to bring in more business and revenue during this business time of year.
Elmwood Village in Buffalo is known it's unique variety of businesses. Salons, coffee shops, jewelry shops, toy stores, craft stores...you name it, Elmwood Avenue likely has it.
The Treehouse Toy Store and ShopCraft are two examples of popular stores on the strip that are gearing up for the holiday shopping season, albeit differently.
Gaetana and David Schueckler have owned Treehouse for 25 years and say that part of being an entrepreneur is having the ability and courage to figure it out and keep on going.
"One of our biggest fears was changing habit," Gaetana Schueckler says. But unique circumstances call for unique solutions. "We've robustly changed our website, we do local deliver, we even have touchless take out."
Creating options. That's what the Schuecklers and Christa Penner, owner of ShopCraft, say is the key to surviving an unprecedented and unpredictable holiday season like this one.
Creating experiences for all customers that suit their respective comfort levels, while ensuring and enforcing rules and regulations is an approach many local business owners are taking.
"We really put as much stuff that was in our windows online as well to make it convenient for our customers," Penner says.
Whether it's pick-up, drop-off, online shopping, unique smaller events, or extended business hours, to survive as a business owner, during a pandemic nonetheless, requires one to think outside of the box and sometimes even collaboratively, even as competitors.
"It's better if the money stays in the local community," Penner says. "We want to support our neighbors and our friends in this community."