Small Businesses in Athens Adapt to Pandemic Regulations

The pandemic forces small businesses in Athens, Georgia to adapt their marketing strategies. However, not all have survived.

The Coronavirus Pandemic has severely impacted small businesses’ economies in the past year all over the world. Some businesses have struggled to adapt and create new marketing tactics to remain in business. Only the most adaptable have learned how to survive in this difficult time.

“If they did nothing, and just waited it out, [they’d probably no longer be there]…so they had to be creative, you had to be inventive, you had to think of ways,” said David Stob of the UGA Small Business Development Center.

Stob believes that while living through a global pandemic has been immensely challenging for small businesses, there are ways the strongest have adapted and are still successful in generating business.

Jason Dunn owns Budda Bar, Centro Bar, Double Barrel, Sand Bar, Woodford and now the upcoming Paloma Park. He said the struggle the pandemic has created for smaller businesses in Athens, GA, especially for the bar and restaurant scene.

“I think people divulge deeper into why there’s long lines outside of establishments. It’s rule based because we’re limiting our capacity inside to keep everyone safe,” said Dunn.

Dunn believes that the limited capacity inside of bars and restaurants has somewhat turned people away from going out. Without some form of adaptation of the restaurant and bars to continue to tend to draw in business, many local restaurants and bars would shut down.

“There’s several ways through surviving the pandemic. The ones who don’t survive are not pivoting and changing rapidly enough to accommodate their customers,” said Stob. “So for instance the restaurants needed to curbside and open up their drive-thru, or put a drive-thru in to survive”.

Stobb is confident that small businesses have the ability to change the way they draw in business during the pandemic, it just might take some time and effort.

Successful small businesses in Athens, GA have learned to adapt to the pandemic and create marketing tactics to draw in customers in distinctive ways. Despite hard times economically, if these businesses have pivoted, business is still booming.