Celebrating Small Businesses in 2025
Small businesses are the heart of our communities. On our blog, we shared stories of Main Street business innovation, community, and growth. Here are four stories about small businesses from the past year.
Owner: Matt DuBois
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your small business.
We are a from-scratch baking company in an 1864 bank building. The best part of our retail business is getting to share our family recipes with our community; a community that has welcomed us since 2008.
How has your business been impacted by COVID-19?
A large portion of our business has been impacted by COVID-19. Between the reduction of retail sales locally and visitors we have had to rethink how we do business during the pandemic. Also, our normally very busy wedding season was reduced to very small gatherings or postponements.
How are you using the grant funds, and how will they help your business?
We have used the grant funds to enable our business to have a digital retail presence. Establishing an e-commerce website as well as updating our current website to fit in with today's standards has been a game changer for us and has allowed us to move the needle to regain some lost revenue. The grant funds have allowed us to invest in ourselves when we didn't have the capital to do so. This investment has been key to the way we have had to pivot during this time.
Are there any other ways you've pivoted your business in response to the pandemic?
We took a hard look at our sales numbers and reduced our retail hours to help control expenses. This reduction in retail hours has allowed us to perform extra cleaning and sanitizing tasks.
What advice would you give to small business owners who are struggling right now?
I would offer three pieces of advice:
Do your best to continue to provide the best customer service possible. It is that very thing that continues to cultivate clients and distinguishes small business from big box stores.
Look for and take advantage of as many relief programs as needed. It is worth the time.
Don't be afraid to try new things. Innovation comes from thinking outside the box and taking a chance on new ideas.
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View more spotlights of the first round of recipients for the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program.
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