Small businesses make up the rich fabric of every Denver neighborhood. They thrive on local customers who know where the good food and products are beyond the nationally familiar stores. You know who makes the best local places for lunch. You know the best nearby grocery stores and the best shops for school supplies. These small local businesses thrive on traffic from nearby residents. Walk-ins and in-store shoppers are the lifeblood of local businesses, which is why they were hit so hard by the pandemic. If you’re looking for ways to support local businesses, this is your guide.
We Have the Power to Support Local Businesses
By September of 2020, more than 100,000 small businesses had to close their doors for good. Of our favorite Denver shops that survived that wave of financial tragedy, we want to make sure they manage to survive and thrive in the days to come. The wild thing to realize is that store survival is in our hands. As the community, we decide which shops get enough business to keep their doors open by where we choose to spend. If we want our favorite restaurants, stores, and services to be around when in-person visits are a practical choice again, then we can all pitch in and support local businesses using the new no-contact methods that every local business is rolling out.
Join us in exploring how we, as the Denver community, can help our local Denver businesses to push through this financial rough patch.
Support Local Businesses Online – Stock Locally Instead of Shipping
During the pandemic, we tend to shop where there are websites and deliveries to work with. After all, that’s the safest no-contact approach. When the lockdown era hit, many people turned to big online shipping retailers like Amazon and Walmart.com. We understand; local stores were temporarily wiped out of supplies and most places hadn’t adapted to curbside or delivery services yet. But a few months have passed and local shops are ready for no-contact customers.
Instead of keeping with your new drop-shipping habit, support small businesses by checking back in with your local stores. Find their websites and discover if they offer delivery or curbside pickup. From family dinner to stocking up on school supplies, it’s time for Denverites to return to supporting Denver small business instead of defaulting to the online retail giants.
Order Delivery from Local Restaurants
Curbside or delivery groceries can feed the family efficiently at home. But when you get a craving for something special or have a celebration, reach out to your local restaurants. Go back to your old favorites or even discover somewhere new. Google Maps is great about telling you which places are open for delivery or curbside so you can have a delicious dinner with contact-free service.
Tip Your Drivers
If you order delivery of anything to your home, remember to tip your drivers. These essential workers are putting in endless hours of hard work to ensure at-home families can stay safely at home. Not sure about tipping protocol? 10-20% of the bill is standard, but it’s courteous to never tip less than $5, even with a small order. These tips make a profound difference for local delivery drivers – many of whom have recently transitioned from working in-person roles as waiters and retail clerks.
Promote Local Menus and Websites on Social Media
If you have a few favorite Denver small businesses, have fun with promoting them. Share the menus of your recent restaurant-delivered feast. Share the website of the most reliable and courteous hardware store in your region. Let other local Denverites know where to go for great local services and remind everyone that some great small businesses are ready for customers to return.
Visit Reopened Shops with Personal Protection
Many shops are reopening for limited-capacity customers inside restaurants and stores. If you want or need to go shopping, pop on your mask and go visit your local stores in person. This can be a great relaxing outing and helps us all to rebuild that ‘new normal’ routine while you support local businesses.
Write Reviews on Your No-Contact Experience
Last but certainly not least, write reviews. If you had a great experience with a local small business, write about how it went! Normally, you may think your story too tame to share. But right now, everyone is peeking at reviews to see how well these businesses are adapting to their no-contact methods. If your experience was enjoyable and capable, let the world know that your favorite local shops are fully recovered and know how to treat their customers well in the new normal.
Support Local Businesses in Denver
Here at Denver Dyllan Real Estate, we believe in supporting the local community. Right now, that means helping local businesses survive and thrive through this strange and challenging economic time. There’s no need to change your shopping plans, just look around for local options to fulfill your personal and household needs.