Resilience is the ability to adjust, to flex, to recover. To encounter a barrier and find a way around it or through it. For me, the approach to a challenge starts with a “beginner’s mind”. This approach can help us see a new possibility or a lesson learned.
I have been continually inspired by the resilient small businesses in our community who have faced countless barriers throughout this pandemic. Though many small businesses have been forced to close, many have found ways to pivot, survive and even thrive. They adjusted, learned and have stayed in business!
Read on to learn about some of the amazing small business owners in our community who are surviving and thriving.
Please support them this holiday season and beyond!
Melissa Myers
The Good Hop
Years in business: 7.5
Melissa started working as a brewer in 1996 and from the moment she brewed her first barrel she was hooked. In 2013 she opened The Good Hop, a craft beer bar and bottle shop in Oakland that specializes in independent breweries with a focus on California. Brewing beer, selling beer and talking about beer is Melissa’s passion!
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? We closed per state mandate. It took me 4 days to create an online store and turn my in-person beer bar into an online beer bottle/can shop. I had to let all of my employees go (some had been with me for 5 years) and my regulars struggled for a place to go to process what had happened to their world. Normally bar folks would go to their local bar to find support about what is happening to them and the world around them. It felt like the bottom dropped out and we were basically forced to build a whole new business.
How are you and your business doing now? We are still recovering. It has been a long 20 months. All data from the day before, the same day the week before, the same month the year before, the holiday last year; all that data can’t be used for present day. Supply chains both for finding employees and receiving products are constantly shifting. BUT we are still open! So that should say it all. We did everything we could to keep and build a community online that usually happens organically and in person. Community, both patrons and local breweries, have come out to support us and in turn we have become much stronger in our community, for our patrons and with the small businesses of Oakland and the craft beer industry.
Any specific products/services to promote? Holiday Beer Boxes! We offer 5 different options and each box is specifically curated by me for a fantastic 12 beer experience. Each can is individually wrapped and no beer is ever repeated from the years before. The Holiday Beer Boxes are gift wrapped and ready to be given to someone special or it’s a great gift to oneself to enjoy this holiday season. Follow this link to see all 5 Holiday Beer Box options. Or visit in person! 2421 Telegraph Ave, Oakland.
Gillian Shaw
Black Jet Baking Company
Years in business: 11
Gillian founded Black Jet Baking Co. in 2010 as a wholesale operation, delivering cookies and Pops (handmade Pop Tarts) to coffee shops and offices all around the city of San Francisco. In 2017 she opened a retail location in Bernal Heights where you can find a wide variety of delicious baked goods.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Before the pandemic hit, our business was 50/50 wholesale/retail. When the pandemic hit, we completely lost 80% of our wholesale business.
How are you and your business doing now? We are hanging in there! The retail side of our business is growing as we added different products post pandemic that have proved to be very popular. We have added more staff and are currently in the swing of making tons of holiday pies!
Any specific products to promote? We just got some great merchandise in stock for the holidays – tees and sweatshirts! And always pies and cakes! Visit us at 833 Cortland Street, SF.
Carol Gancia
Ripplemakers
Kokak Chocolates
Years in business: 17
Carol is a force of nature! She operates two small businesses to fulfill her passion for helping people tell their stories (a video production company) and making delicious, beautiful products (a new chocolate shop). Her newest enterprise, Kokak Chocolates, is an Asian, LBGTQ, woman-owned business that takes pride in using fair trade heirloom chocolate and producing all of their chocolates in micro-batches in an open kitchen at the shop. Carol’s chocolates are made from a rare cacao variety called Nacional and feature unique, tropical flavors.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? Client purchase orders for my video production company were cancelled for three months and we could not bill any projects. We were also on the verge of opening our first retail store for our chocolate shop which had been in construction for almost a year. We opened in June 2020 with hardly a soul in sight on the streets. It was tough but it pushed us to promote online and introduce shipping within three months after we opened. It helped drive customers and we actually had a great holiday season.
How are you and your business doing now? My video production company is doing very well and has a steady stream of projects. My chocolate shop is growing its customer base each year.
Any specific products/services to promote? Kokak Chocolates aims to be a unique gift for friends and families. We also offer customization options for gift wrapping and also do custom truffle designs to make the most impactful gifts for corporate gifting and events. Visit our shop in the Castro (3901 – 18th Street, SF) or go online to order.
Megan Johnson
The Animal House
Years in business: 14.5 years
The Animal House is a pet shop on Fillmore Street in the Lower Haight neighborhood in San Francisco that offers a wide variety of products. Megan believes in treating pets like family members and has gone all out to merchandise her small retail location with everything you need, and she can offer help in every aspect of pet ownership.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? We were designated an essential business, which was very scary in itself. It forced me to get my online shop up and running for curbside pickup. We reduced hours and kept at-risk employees out of the shop. People reacted to the stay-at-home orders by getting pets, which was great for my business.
How are you and your business doing now? It is actually doing better now than before Covid!
Any specific products/services to promote?It’s a great time for pet sweaters and coats! We have plenty of options to keep your pet warm and dry. Come on by! 157 Fillmore Street, SF.
Atava Garcia Swiecicki
Ancestral Apothecary
Ancestral Apothecary School
Years in business: 25+
Atava is an experienced herbalist and teacher who founded a school dedicated to the study of herbal, folk and indigenous medicine. The school is committed to being a learning community centered on people of color for the study of herbal medicine and honoring the diverse cultural healing traditions of the Bay Area.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? At first we lost a lot of students who didn’t want to make the transition to Zoom classes. However, over time our numbers of students increased because we were now able to attract students from around the country and the world. Plus, in a virtual space we could increase the class size, which had been limited by the size of our classroom. As a clinical herbalist, I was able to transition all of my clients to an online platform.
How are you and your business doing now? Ancestral Apothecary School grew and expanded during the pandemic. The growth of the school has been both wonderful and overwhelming. Due to many changes in my own life, including a move to New Mexico, I am in the process of selling the school. I have a wonderful buyer who has been integral in the school community, who I trust to continue the legacy of the school. Starting in 2022 I will focus my work on seeing private clients as an herbalist, teaching, and selling my herbal product line.
Any specific products/services to promote? If you mention this newsletter, you will receive 20% off any of my healing services!
Lauren West
Next Highest Good
Years in business: 5
Next Highest Good is a professional organizing company specializing in zero waste and serving the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond with in-person and virtual organizing, moving and relocating services.
What happened to your business when the pandemic hit? We did some virtual organizing during the shelter in place order. In June, 2020 we were able to get back into people’s homes (masked, of course). We hit the ground running and haven’t stopped!
How are you and your business doing now? We are busier than ever! I am not sure if it is people working from home, word of mouth from 5 years in business, or our unique zero waste approach but we are fielding more inquiries and booking more jobs than ever before.
Any specific services to promote? We specialize in zero waste, which is finding a home for all the things our clients no longer want or need. We take loads of care to re-home, donate, upcycle, recycle, compost ++ and avoid landfill at all costs. (Mold is the only deal breaker!) You would be surprised at what we have been able to re-home for our clients. One person’s trash is another’s treasure could not be more alive for us.
Learn more about Lauren and her business in this recent interview.
Leave a Reply