In Athens, plexiglass screens, outdoor seating, and face masks are the least of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses have uprooted their business models just to survive.
Athens is unique, even for a college town, where The University of Georgia’s students drive the economy during the semester, and football and music boost tourism. As the pandemic rocks old habits, Athens’ small businesses are just as, if not more, uncertain about their futures as those in any other city.
As football season approaches and COVID-19 cases rise across the country, small businesses are facing challenges no one could have seen coming. Some businesses struggled with adaptation before the pandemic, like Avid Bookshop’s brawl with Amazon, and social distance regulations might serve as a killing blow.
Other businesses like restaurants rely on demand for in-person, close-quarters service that isn’t a safe option right now. Regardless, every single small business in Athens has had to adapt in some way to survive.
I want to tell Athenians the stories of perseverance that are going on all around them in local businesses. I especially want to highlight those that are adapting to the pandemic in ways they wouldn’t have otherwise and are finding out that these adaptations are beneficial to their business models on the whole. Pivots like these are proof of the innovative potential of Athens’ entrepreneurs.
