Help Is Out There for Starting a Business By ROBERT A. DEFRANK Staff Writer Starting a business in the hopefully postCOVID-19 world of 2021 can be an intimidating undertaking, but there are resources available to help people who want to take that step. St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Wendy Anderson said there are a wide variety of business possibilities and the pandemic has not slowed down entrepreneurs. Many have taken to using other options. “During COVID we’ve had several businesses, brand-new businesses, open and take advantage of the idea you don’t have to have a salesperson. They can run a business on their own with a website, with a Facebook live, and it’s a lot easier. They can alter their hours and it’s beneficial to them because they are open basically 24 hours a day,” she said. “It’s actually a benefit to be able to do that. We’ve had a lot of small businesses open because of that.” She added that online meetings and interactions are still possible through a number of platforms. “You can still make con-
Small Businesses ∫ Online meetings are a great alternative to face-to-face meetings to make important connections to get a business off the ground. ∫ New business owners now need to bake a new ingredient into their plans. COVID-19 precautions now must be a part of the strategy. ∫ Starting a new business in a pandemic can be done, but the owners need to be realistic about their goals, or else a new business can be a shortlived business. nections. You can still talk to people. You can still see their faces and their expressions,” she said. Anderson added that the chamber has continued to hold networking sessions online and intends to begin meeting soon at a venue large enough to be compliant with social distancing. Anderson said businesses such as restaurants, bars, barber shops and boutiques also persist, although some of the communal atmosphere at those places has changed. “I get my nails done. I go in, I’m wearing my
mask, they’re wearing their mask. It’s a different way of getting your hair cut. It’s not as personal,” she said. “I still feel like I’m safe. They have hand sanitizers at every station. … I’m more cautious. It’s become a way of life. “It’s a little different, but it’s doable,” she said, adding that local barbers and other professionals are enforcing mask policies. That was not the case a few months ago, when the Belmont County Health Department attributed some isolated outbreaks of COVID-19 to salons and spas where masks were
Photo by Robert A. DeFrank
Marlee Wellman, lead barista for the Flatiron Coffee Shop in St. Clairsville, prepares a brew. The business went into partnership with Three Labs Salvage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
not worn. Lynn Jeffries, owner of Three Labs Salvage in St. Clairsville, has been in business for several years but said she might have started her business even during the pandemic. “I don’t know that I would be discouraged. There are many ways now to promote a small business,” she said. “There are ways to still serve customers without them having to come into your physical location.”
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Her business also partnered with the Flatiron Coffee Shop, which set up in her premises during the pandemic. Blake Porterfield, who does marketing work for businesses including the Route 40 LumberJaxe family gaming venue in Belmont, said business has continued despite COVID restrictions. “It’s a lot of fun and people seem to enjoy going out there,” he said of the facility near Morris-
town. He added that the marketing field has many opportunities. “There’s a lot of very intelligent businesspeople here; however, with the marketing trends changing so rapidly with the advancement of technology and social media, a lot of these people that are very savvy businesspeople aren’t very inclined with the new fast-moving technologies,” he said. (Please see HELP, Page 8)
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Small Businesses Thankful for Regular Customers By JOSELYN KING Staff Writer For much of 2020, hairstyling salons were closed in Ohio, but that didn’t stop some regular customers from continuing to support A Cut Above hair salon in Martins Ferry. “It was our customer base that kept us afloat,” said owner Chris Cole. “We had regular customers paying for the coloring service they get every month — even though they couldn’t come in and didn’t get the service. They told me they had planned to pay for it, and were going to pay for it anyway. “They did that just to keep us open.” Cole and Stacy Dietz, owners of the Ditto Boutique in the Woodsdale section of Wheeling, were among local small shop owners who used new technology — and a few tried and true marketing techniques — to stay in touch and meet the needs of their customer base during the pandemic. Dietz said she and some employees found themselves taking orders over the internet and by telephone, then delivering it to the doorsteps of the buyers’ homes during the pandemic. “People in the Ohio Valley do want small businesses to stay afloat, so they do do their part and support us,” Dietz said. “I know people call me and say they’ve seen something online (they wish to buy). They tell me, ‘We want to support you so you stay alive.’ That means a lot to me. … We are beginning to build a website because we know that’s where it is at now. People are doing online shopping so they don’t have to go out and about and be around people.” But that doesn’t mean shoppers also won’t be stopping in to the corner
Specialty Shops ∫ Shops are using new technology along with a few tried-and-true marketing techniques to meet the needs of their customers. ∫ They’re thinking outside the box with special events and promotions to keep their names in circulation and customers coming back. ∫ Small businesses are thankful for regular customers, who have gone the extra mile to keep those businesses thriving during the pandemic.
Photos by Joselyn King
ABOVE: Michele Rejonis of Wheeling spends time shopping at Ditto Boutique in Woodsdale. BELOW: Chloe Bryan, an employee at Ditto Boutique, puts out new merchandise at the shop.
retail stores in their neighborhood as they seek to avoid more crowded, larger box stores, according to Dietz. She predicts this should bode well for small shops in the future. “We have customers who know inside our store it won’t be packed,” she said. “Intermittently, there are only a couple of customers who come in at a time ...
“There are a lot of people who don’t want to go into the big department stores but go to small stores because they know they won’t be as busy. That’s a good thing.” Store employees make certain the store is sanitized, and “clean like you wouldn’t believe.” “I have a lot of retired workers, so I really worry about them,” Dietz said.
“They are really cognizant of the fact we don’t want anyone to get this really horrible COVID disease at our shop. We’ve been really good at sanitizer.” Retail and specialty shops were closed much of the spring and into the summer during 2020. Dietz said she found out quickly one of the best ways to let people know the shop was open
was to have old-fashioned sidewalk sales. Items for sale would catch the eyes of those driving by on National Road, causing them to pull off and stop by to shop. In the fall, Dietz organized Ditto Boutique’s first “October in Edgwood” event. This included a sidewalk sale involving nearby shops, as well as live music and entertainment to get customers’ attention. “We thought something that would be safer to do rather than having all those people inside the shop,” she said. “It was a wonderful turnout. It was even a rainy day and people still came out to support the shops. “The Ohio Valley really wants these businesses to stay afloat, because they know small businesses are struggling.” Ditto Boutique is continuing to do other promotions to reach the public, and it will host its first fashion show March 28 at the Char House restaurant in Bethlehem. Proceeds will benefit a program that gives gas cards to longterm cancer patients receiving regular treatments. “I am thrilled with the community and how well
we have all come together to support each other and lift each other up,” Dietz said. “I love my hometown.” Cole said his shop was closed for 57 days as a result of the pandemic and orders from the state of Ohio. Meanwhile, “the bills kept coming in,” he said. All during the time he kept in contact with customers with postings on Facebook, and he often texted his most established customers. When word came allowing salons to reopen, Cole was immediately flooded with requests for appointments from those who had been anxiously awaiting a cut or hair coloring service. “People were wanting to pre-book, but I had to keep telling them there was no set time for sure, and the governor had to give us a certain date before I could start booking,” he said. Once the date May 15, 2020, was determined, Cole quickly booked over 60 appointments for himself and other stylists in the shop within the first four hours, he said. (Please see THANKFUL, Page 7)