How to Support Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19

Small BusinessSan Francisco
Written By Emily Nguyen

After living in San Francisco for about 6 years, I’ve established my roots at some of my favorite local spots. Even though I was raised only 45 minutes away, I never explored the city across the bridge much in my childhood except for the occasional field trip or family visiting. When friends and family visit me, I have a list of recommendations ready based on where they’re staying - most of which are the restaurants and stores that have won my heart over. Small businesses are what make this place home to me, and the thought of losing them to fears of coronavirus is frightening.

Originally, a shelter-in-place order was effective in 6 Bay Area counties from March 17, 2020 through April 7, 2020. The order has now been extended through the month of April (possibly longer) and 2 more counties have been added. Even with the original 2-week closure, many small businesses struggled to stay alive and support their employees.

Take the example of the Bay Area’s beloved, Boba Guys - personally, one of my favorite boba spots and the reason why I always have the inclination to add strawberry to my matcha.

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In 9 years, they made a name for themselves and built their boba empire of 17 locations in 7 different cities, but in a single day, they were forced to fire 400 employees and face the uncertainty of reopening their doors.

If you’re looking to support them during this time, you can purchase eGift cards and merchandise. If you have a little more dough to spare, Boba Guys, Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, Rooster & Rice, and Manila Bowl are partnering to sell Nom Nom Bonds. A $200 bond gets you $250 in gift cards redeemable at those businesses upon reopening, supports local businesses and their employees, and gets you limited access to special events.

Boba Guys is a testament to the fact that every business is affected - no matter how big the following (they are over 76,000 strong on Instagram alone). I can’t imagine how much the smaller mom-and-pop shops are suffering due to the lack of business, but videographer, Jeremiah Ysip helps paint the picture:

How You Can Support

Simply put, here are 6 ways to support local businesses during this time of need:

Small businesses are not only near and dear to my heart because I frequently eat and shop at these places but because the majority of my career has been spent working for them. In fact, ever since moving to San Francisco, I have solely worked for small businesses, so in honor of my first blog post, I’ll start by paying homage to some of my past employers starting with the most recent:

Wingtip

Wingtip is San Francisco’s premier private social club, exclusive to members who enjoy community and craftsmanship. In an effort to stay connected with membership, they are offering virtual events, cooking classes, and date night meal kits. During this time, non-members can get an exclusive taste of Wingtip by ordering delivery or pick-up through services like Caviar and DoorDash - the kitchen is open daily from 4 PM - 10 PM. Use the code “WMQWAW” to get $7 off your order of $25 or more on Caviar. If you’d like to directly contribute to our talented team, please consider donating to Wingtip’s Employee Relief Fund through GoFundMe.

Perform for Life

Rated #1 for personal training and best gym in San Francisco multiple years, I’m proud to be a part of P4L’s growth. I worked my way up from being their intern to their Marketing Assistant, and then I landed my role as their Marketing and Graphic Design Coordinator, helping with the launch of their beautiful second location in Hayes Valley. If you’re looking for a way to stay active while being cooped up indoors, they are offering online training, a virtual training bootcamp, and a home gym design consultation.

Living Room Plant Co.

Fun Fact: I used to want to be a flower and plant shop owner (and sometimes still do).

In December 2018, Dawn came to me with the idea of opening hers, and I had the pleasure of helping her achieve that dream all by February 2019. Living Room Plant Co. is Pacifica’s first and only houseplant boutique with a focus on plants, art, and workshops. Within 1 month, we built an organic social media following of over 400 and garnered 200 RSVPs for the grand opening! Show this female-owned and operated business some love by getting a gift card or shopping their online shop. They are also offering free local delivery with purchases of $15 or more.

Uncle Boy’s

Have you ever gotten high and thought to yourself I really want a juicy cheeseburger with bacon, onion rings, and sweet ranch sauce? I haven’t, but for many Inner Richmond folks, that’s already got your mouth watering over The Cowboy Burger (probably the most popular burger sold when I was working there). They’ve got beef patties, grilled chicken breast, veggie burgers, and classic fried sides like fries, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks. Place an order on DoorDash or purchase an eGift Card today to show Uncle Boy’s your support.

Who Else Is Open?

During quarantine, I’ve mostly been utilizing Yelp to see if businesses are open and calling them directly to see if there’s someone on the other line. Many have been pretty good about updating their store hours, and sometimes I’ll sort reviews from newest first to see if anyone has been in the past few weeks or has an update.

The real homies:

Home Coffee Roasters - Outer Richmond + Outer Sunset - Known for their rainbow lattes and big hearts, Home has partnered with Third Culture Bakery and Jade Leaf Matcha to deliver fresh coffee, mochi muffins / donuts, and matcha shots to healthcare professionals, first responders, and firefighters. Send some coffee and pastries to the heroes on the front lines of this pandemic. And as far as I know, their Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset locations are accepting delivery and pick-up orders. You can also support their staff with a donation or order their beans for delivery anywhere in the US.

Some helpful lists made by others:

Donate to Make a Difference

Missing something? Send me a link.

Emily Nguyen
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