The restaurant was packed.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ray Hamilton, owner of Anthony’s Good Food Market in West Point, took stock of the chock-full dining room and realized it couldn’t last.
Aware that such crowds could be a problem for older patrons, Hamilton decided to close the popular Main Street restaurant March 15, a week before Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves mandated the closure of dining rooms statewide.
In the weeks since, as Hamilton worked to reopen safely, he turned to West Point/Clay County Growth Alliance for assistance. Growth Alliance Director Lisa Klutts answered Hamilton’s questions on government regulations, safety codes, contacts and resources from the federal Small Business Administration and gave him, information about the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, which offers forgivable loans to businesses hit hard by the pandemic.
“They’ve definitely been very supportive in helping us access resources to get a little government help during this time,” Hamilton said of the Growth Alliance.
He said the organization’s support of local businesses like Anthony’s — and Magnolia’s at the Ritz, which Hamilton owns but which remains closed — saves him a lot of time.
“That’s something I don’t have much of,” Hamilton said. “It’s very much appreciated.”
Klutts, who describes the Growth Alliance as a “voice” for business in West Point, isn’t alone in the region in her efforts to help local business owners navigate COVID-19.
In Columbus and Starkville, too, business advocacy organizations have adapted to changing circumstances due to the virus in order to serve local companies when they need it most.
“Start to finish, the chamber has been a business advocate during this,” Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce President Lisa James said. “Our chamber has been with everybody every step of the way.”
Information is key
A large red button in the top right of the Columbus-Lowndes chamber’s website labeled “COVID-19 Resources” is just the first sign that James and her organization are making an effort to share as much information about the pandemic as they can.
The chamber’s COVID-19 Business Toolkit offers resources for small businesses — links to information on PPP loans and SBA disaster assistance — updates on the status of the virus and a reopening guide compiled from other chambers in the area, including Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Typically, the twice-monthly “Chamber Chatter” newsletter includes a space for advertising at the bottom; now, in the organization’s weekly COVID-19-themed emails, business owners can update fellow members on what they’re doing during the pandemic: whether they’re available for call-in orders, or whether they take appointments via Zoom.
James said the open rate on the emails is up 25 to 30 percent, a sign business owners are interested in taking advantage of all the information available to them.
She has also made infographics breaking down how to apply for PPP funding or the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance, as too much text in one place can be “overwhelming.”
“That was a better way for the chamber membership to know what their options were,” James said.
Greater Starkville Development Partnership Executive Director Mike Tagert said the organization is providing similar resources for federal stimulus aid, including worksheets for business owners to calculate the amount of money they could be eligible to receive. The organization also alerted members to the new Back to Business Mississippi Grant Program, which will begin this week and offers up to $25,000 in grants through the Mississippi Development Authority and a $2,000 direct payment as part of an assistance program.
Tagert said he wants the Partnership to be a place business owners can go whenever they need help, have questions or need clarification.
“We immediately realized we needed to be a source of information for our small businesses,” he said.
Like James, Tagert is trying to package the information and make it convenient. And the resources he’s compiled aren’t unique to Partnership members — they’re for everyone.
“We’re just trying to make sure that all the information we have is available not only to our members but the general public as well,” Tagert said.
It’s a similar theme across the Golden Triangle. The resources on the Columbus chamber’s website are public, and Klutts also stressed that the information she has been providing is for members and non-members alike.
A ‘digital leap’
Barbara Bigelow, executive director of Main Street Columbus, said the Zoom video conferencing app has become her closest friend during the pandemic.
The organization’s office is closed four days a week, only opening Fridays when Bigelow and a co-worker hand out the t-shirts and car decals that Main Street Columbus has been selling, with 50 percent of proceeds going toward the organization’s Downtown Relief Fund.
“It is gratifying to see that folks want to support our local, downtown businesses and we appreciate those who have already shown their support, but we do hope others who may not have been aware of the fundraiser will join us in supporting what we consider the ‘heart’ of our community,” Bigelow said in an email Saturday.
She said the fundraiser will end June 8 and that she will work with three downtown business owners to determine how to allocate the funds.
For Bigelow, virtual communication has been critical — contacting members by phone, sharing short videos on how to re-open businesses and daily use of email blasts and social media.
Bigelow also praised business owners who turned to other means to inform the public during closures caused by the pandemic.
“We were so proud of our downtown merchants who were able to use the internet to continue their business and keep their name in the public’s eye during their closings,” Bigelow said.
That’s something that Tagert has tried to emphasize in Starkville as well. He said the Partnership is an advocate for physical, “brick-and-mortar” businesses, but he knows that first and foremost during the pandemic is survival in whatever form is possible.
If businesses can survive while operating primarily online, “that just makes their business all the more healthy and able to adapt,” he said.
It’s why Tagert is helping the Partnership make a “digital leap” and emphasizing the same for its members. While his organization has redoubled its social media efforts and focused on digital communication, he’s trying to help local businesses to the same — particularly retail operations emphasizing online sales.
In Columbus, too, a growing emphasis on virtual delivery has been made within the chamber.
Youth and adult leadership classes as well as a luncheon with state legislators are all online. The chamber will also offer weekly networking luncheons via Zoom for members on Mondays in June.
Concerns linger for business owners
As the chair of the Partnership’s Main Street Association, Alaina Prentice of Starkville always implores community members to shop at local businesses.
“We’re their friends. We’re their neighbors. We grew up together,” she said. “… For us to stay here, we’ve gotta have that continued local support.”
Prentice, owner of Merle Norman & Luna Bella at Cotton Crossing, said she and fellow local business owners always come together to boost each other’s posts on social media, via likes and comments, to earn attention that could buoy the businesses in a time of need.
“It’s just about supporting local businesses, shopping local and showing that love for our sisters and brothers that are in the same boat that we’re in,” she said.
But Prentice knows that concerns remain for her compatriots in Starkville. Many businesses depend on Mississippi State students, and others rely heavily on tourism, so whether football will be played at Davis Wade Stadium this fall (and whether fans can attend) is a critical question.
“We’re a tourism town, and with no tourism, it’s really hard,” Prentice said.
In West Point, Klutts is facing the same issues. The city’s tourism tax was down 31 percent in March, and though not having to spend money on future events somewhat evens things out, the situation isn’t easy for the nonprofit.
Invoices for Growth Alliance member dues went out just before the pandemic really hit in March, and Klutts said she hasn’t pressed her members to pay, knowing they need the money to keep their businesses alive.
“We’re struggling here, too,” Klutts said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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