From the Perspective of a Small Business during a Global Crisis

By Kate Hoffman

  Across the country, thousands of small businesses that thought they would be hanging their “Closed” signs for only two weeks back in March, are now closing their stores permanently.  Others continue to trudge along during these uncertain times, whether it means altering budgets, filing for government bailouts, or letting go large portions of their workforce.  One industry that has not survived, but thrived during the pandemic, is corporate grocery stores.  Grocery stores, such as Kroger and Walmart, have been working at rapid rates to meet consumer demand, taking in much more money than anyone could have predicted five months ago.  But can the same be said about local or mom-and-pop grocery stores and their owners?

Not exactly.  Kara Brown, manager of The Daily Co-Op in Athens, Georgia, has been especially affected by the current economic crisis.  Though not necessarily a locally-owned grocery store, it still holds a large presence in the Athens community because of the store’s co-op business model, where members own a share of its profits.  Between this type of membership and the communal atmosphere Athens locals experience while shopping there, Brown explains that Daily Co-op members “are not just financially invested, but emotionally invested.” Originally from Cleveland, Georgia, Brown moved to Vermont in her thirties where she started working for food co-ops. According to Brown, she was “drawn to the people and the vibrance of the local food scene.”  When she heard that there was an opening for a managerial position at a co-op near her hometown, she moved to Athens and started working at the Daily Co-op in August 2018.  

            Even though being a small business owner, or manager in Brown’s example, may not be an envied by an economic standpoint during a pandemic, to Brown the struggles of the last few months don’t diminish the satisfaction and self-worth that come with working in an industry that aligns with her beliefs and values.  While large corporate grocery stores may have the goal of making the most profit possible, Brown admires how co-op business models tend to equally prioritize people, the planet, and profit equally.  Kara Brown “like[s] serving our community and neighbors and [sees] it as a great privilege and responsibility to bring people food.” In one of her blog posts, “Being a Grocery Store is Never Just Being a Grocery Story,” Brown emphasizes the value of co-ops and why Athens locals, despite their own financial struggles during this time, should continue to support the Daily Co-op.  While big corporate grocery stores have “marginalized” and “under[pay]” their workers, Brown writes that the Daily Co-op community values sustainability, quality over quantity, and creating neighborly relationships with local food sources.

            When asked how the Daily Co-op has been able to remain open even after the University of Georgia moved online, Brown credits the flexibility of her staff, in addition to the support of the community, for keeping the store open.  Not one of Brown’s employees had to file for unemployment, though almost all received reduced hours.  “We have a scrappy, creative staff,” Brown explains.  “We do a lot of maintenance ourselves, repurpose things, and repurposed our staff [during the pandemic].”  By “repurposing our staff” she means shifting jobs to fit the “new normal” of consumer behavior during a pandemic.  Though Brown is thankful that the Daily Co-op was one of the small businesses that qualified for a portion of the Paycheck Protection Program, she explains that even though “(the stimulus checks) have been great, the pandemic is not over. Things are going to be pretty hard… and it will take a while to get back to normal.” At this point, Brown has “a goal of sustainability” for the store, rather than making a profit this year.  Dr. Jason Rudbeck, a UGA economics professor, shares Brown’s concern from an economic standpoint.  “There are certainly going to be permanent differences that exist when we go back to the normal that everybody’s talking about, but I don’t think we’re going to go back to the normal that we had imagined,” said Rudbeck.  Here Rudbeck is referring to huge companies like Amazon and grocery store chains that can’t hire employees and restock shelves fast enough.  Rudbeck said “[there are] certain businesses we will substitute away from once the pandemic is over” and that the surge in sales made by companies like Amazon won’t last forever.  

What is not clear, however, is whether or not the Daily Co-op and other small businesses will make it to that point.  Rudbeck and other economic experts can make predictions, but even he admits that it is hard to know the outcome of the Daily Co-op and others like it since “we haven’t met anything similar [to Corona].”  As for now, Brown will continue to adapt to consumer needs and prioritize helping local farmers as long as the community continues to support her and her store.