COVID-19 and small retail business: What we can learn

Abstract

The novel coronavirus outbreak changed the world in 2020 as it rapidly spread from country to country, infecting millions of people across the globe. In response, United States policy-makers and public health officials mandated non-essential businesses to temporarily close to help curb the transmission of the disease. Significant economic strain ensued causing many Americans to lose their jobs and entire industries to suffer. With stores shuttered and fiscal uncertainty impeding consumer spending, retail has been one of the hardest-hit industries. Small businesses in particular have been forced to pivot and grapple with the rippling effects of the pandemic. This journal article features an interview with Nicole Carter, Adjunct Instructor at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, about her perspective on how the pandemic is impacting retail and small business. In addition to her work with Drexel, Nicole oversees operations at Benjamin Lovell Shoes, a Pennsylvania and New-Jersey-based shoe retailer, and shares her experience on how the business has adapted since the onset of the pandemic. The goal of this article is to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the current impact that COVID-19 has on small retail businesses, and how that will continue to shape the future of the industry as a whole.