INDIANAPOLIS — (WTHR) — Last November, I traveled around Indiana, seeing how small businesses were making a difference in their communities.
Our crew had a great time meeting people, hearing their stories, and going live from Noblesville, Franklin, Danville and Shelbyville.
Along the way, we saw the resurgence of the downtown areas in these communities and the role these uniquely Hoosier small businesses made in developing community and giving each other support to grow their bottom line.
All four of the towns had a significant revitalization in the town core, due primarily to local people taking the risk, putting down the dollars and making their businesses work. We saw residents band together to support these businesses and breathe life into their communities.
The coronavirus pandemic has had an effect on every aspect of life in Indiana, and we saw that these businesses were not spared the pain. We wanted to revisit some of the stores and cafes and what we found was hope, love and community.
Noblesville
Owners Robyn and Mark Littler are not only surviving, but they are going to be hiring two more staff members.
It has been tough, switching the business model to curbside service and only now able to seat people indoors. The Littlers also had to adjust quickly to online ordering. That learning curve is over, and the business is making the technology work.
Robyn also credited our Town Square Tour visit, Facebook, and loyal customers with making the new normal workable.
While there, I also got a taste of a new, cold drink. I would have never thought I would have enjoyed a cold drink made from lavender, vanilla, and Earl Grey Tea, but the "Indy Fog" hit the spot on a hot day.
While in town, we stopped by the former Little Gypsie Boutique — now rebranded as The Wild Bohemian Boutique.
Allison Behr has operated this business since 2011, but the last few months have been the most challenging and currently, she said this is the hardest time of the pandemic.
The Wild Bohemian Boutique
From a cost perspective, she said it's easier to have her doors shut and operate online, but she is hoping that customers continue to come in and buy from her brick and mortar facility.
She said she has learned more through this crisis compared to when things were going smoothly.
Franklin
We revisited the Main and Madison Market Cafe, where a crash course in online ordering kept business moving during the pandemic.
The staff had their running shoes on, getting orders via phone and online and racing the orders to cars.
Now, the staff is serving inside and wearing masks and gloves. They are seeing an uptick in business and a wonderful sense of community, working with other businesses to keep the dollars flowing and helping each other.
Amy Richardson and Stephanie Northern, the business' owners, have also had time to update not only the look of the cafe but the menu.
ByTavi, the ministry/store that supports Cambodian seamstresses, had a record stretch of online sales during the pandemic.
They know the wholesale business they run will be way down until stores reopen around the country, but now that the main brick and mortar store is open, they expect that foot traffic will increase the bottom line.
ByTavi
The staff feels that despite the pandemic, sales were good because customers realized the crucial role ByTavi plays in helping women have a self-sustainable life and frees them from the danger of the trafficking industry.
Tracy Bohler welcomed us into her Farm Girl Mercantile shop.
She said the pandemic has been tough on business, but using Facebook and connecting with loyal customers via curbside service has kept her going. One 30-minute Facebook Live session netted her thousands of dollars!
Farm Girl Mercantile
She feels that using the web and Franklin's plan for a downtown Vintage Festival this summer will help customers find her small shop that features farm-themed clothes, gift items and food.
Shelbyville
Store owner Christa Carson told us there were some tough times, but things are looking up for the formal wear store.
The store is back open to customers five days a week.
Christa said more couples are going ahead with their wedding plans, so she has seen an uptick in bridal sales. She said there are also plans for some July proms, which has also helped her sales.
Christa said she’s had some trouble getting in new merchandise because some of her suppliers aren’t fully back open yet. On the plus side, that has helped her sell more of her in-stock merchandise.
She said they also have a huge selection of wedding gowns and has had brides come in from miles away to shop directly from her sales floor. That has helped her sell more off-the-rack gowns in one month than the store usually does in three to four months.
Danville
The Bread Basket also made big changes to keep things going.
During the shutdown, they shifted to carry-out and delivery, even offering special meals for days like Easter and Mother’ Day.
The Bread Basket
The café even started a promotion to help local frontline workers. They gave customers the ability to “Sponsor a Meal for a Healthcare Worker” and delivered those meals to local hospitals.
They said while it’s been a challenging time, it has given them time to shape into a more thoughtful and responsive business.
Store owner Sarah Fentz said it’s been a struggle living without a paycheck for nearly two and a half months.
While she was able to get some government grant money, she also had to dip into her savings to pay the bills and keep things going.
Seize The Night Designs is back open, and while business is a bit slow, Sarah said she’s had many local customers come back and shop both in-store and online.
She is also offering porch drop-offs in the Danville area.
We also checked in on Three Sisters Books.
They tell us as soon as the shutdown started they went to phone and email orders. Their customers were really supportive and ordered books, gift cards and lots of puzzles!
They are now back open with shortened hours and are part of a gift card campaign put on by Downtown Shelbyville.
They tell us the pandemic made them really look at their business model and find the best way to move forward.