Walking into a small business today is a bit different than we’re used to — Hand sanitizer, masks — but to Minot business owners, they say one thing remains the same.
“Our customers are awesome,” Owner of Main Street Books, Val Stadick said.
“We do have a lot of loyal customers and we’re thankful for every one of them,” Owner of Grow With Me, Valerie Stadheim said.
Those loyal customers have helped business-owners, like Stadheim, stay afloat in a sea of uncertainty during the pandemic.
“We really depend on the local community to keep us going and so word of mouth is very important, you know, sharing what you know go downtown hey there’s this store there’s that store,” Stadheim said.
And just a few blocks down from Grow with Me is Main Street Books, whose owner says despite the challenges they’ve faced, the store has done their best to maintain a strong local workforce.
“Last month was a tough month for us but throughout this whole thing we have not laid anyone off we’ve figured it out and that also helps keep the local economy running,” Stadick said.
With the coronavirus making for an unprecedented seven months so far this year, this year’s Main Street Summit features a special breakout session dedicated to small businesses.
“North Dakota is a collection of small businesses and so because of the heartbeat that they are — we wanted to make sure that we focused on them as best we can,” Deputy Commissioner Shawn Kessel, for North Dakota Department of Commerce said.
And both business owners agree people in North Dakota have been supportive of their shops through good and bad times, and will remain that way in the future
“They want to support local, they want to be here, they want downtown to survive, they want the local people to survive cause, after all, we’re the ones that support their tee-ball teams their softball teams their little leagues,” Stadheim said.
“If you want things to eventually go back to normal and see those stores you love still here after the holidays — the next three months are really really crucial,” Stadick said.
Business owners and entrepreneurs in the state are invited to virtually attend the Main Street Summit, which begins Tuesday.
You can register by clicking here.
