FEATURE
Which to tackle first? Instagram? Shopify TikTok? The second instantaneous shutdown triggered last week was, as most retailers quipped, expected since the summer. So too is the expectation that this will last much longer than the two weeks Gov. Kate Brown has stated. “This lockdown is a test, you know? A trial for everyone to see how we do with Thanksgiving and see if infections skyrocket,” said Alicia Renner, owner of three local businesses including Northwest Trading Post, Howl Attire and Mud Lake Studios—the latter, a community ceramics art studio space located in the Old Ironworks Building. Renner echoes the statements of most other small business owners the Source Weekly spoke with, who are bracing for a longer and stricter lockdown ahead of the Christmas holidays. “I feel like it’s getting people used to the idea again and then we will have a lockdown for the rest of winter,” Renner says, which she adds, “is understandable, considering COVID is very real.” Renner says she’s tried to embrace the slowdown by using the time to connect with local artists inside Mud Lake and to take time out for herself. Yet she knows that she’s one of the lucky ones in that her co-operative business
model—in which member artists rent studio space located inside the building—offsets her rental costs in a way that takes the pressure off when things like a global pandemic shut you down. She’s also had her brand, Howl Attire, for nine years and has an established online consumer base. “I’m always amazed at the lengths people will go to find my work and wait for my product.” It’s a scenario newer makers might not yet have had to face. She notes that for her hand-sewn garments, a disrupted supply chain has meant her custom pieces can take much longer to produce. “My canvas comes from Scotland and the distributor shut down back in the spring, so it was a whole big process trying to figure out how I can still buy from them without having to spend money on a big wholesale shipment.” Bracing for the worst but hoping for the best is the motto for 2020, and that’s what this upcoming holiday season will be. Renner speaks of the two upcoming holiday markets that are usually a big moneymaker for the artists the studio supports. “At this point, we are going ahead with a modified version of Small Business Saturday (this Saturday, Nov. 28) where shoppers can socially distance shop for $20 or under gifts such as handmade ornaments.” Craft-O, a collaborative event spread out across the IronWorks facility, featuring more than 50 designers and makers, though, may be a different story, considering the mid-December timeline. “We’ll see,” she says, noting that many artists bank on short time frames to support themselves during the longer, quieter periods. “If that holiday income is gone, then I’m not sure what will happen.” Pivoting to an online shop seems like the go-to reality, but navigating and integrating a new platform into your existing business model can be a daunting, time-consuming effort. Shopify, one of the largest online platforms, is one of the biggest beneficiaries of COVID-19, Gwen Shoemaker
Somewhere That's Green owner John Kish is using Instagram to boost local makers and designers.
Magdelena Bokowa
9 VOLUME 24 ISSUE 41 / NOVEMBER 26, 2020 / THE SOURCE WEEKLY
of a pivot to business models conducive to short-term survival as well as longterm resilience and growth. Since American consumers have shown just what they prefer —the ease of one-click, twoday delivery—many within the Central Oregon small business community are sounding the alarm as we head into the holiday season. Go online, but shop locally, they say. It might be more difficult, more costly and take more time, but the innovative and vibrant community for which Bend is known and celebrated may severely dampen if we lose the small businesses that can’t weather this impending storm.
Abraham and Kirsten Gilreath's approach to surviving a tough retail environment? Stay nimble, keep it simple and innovate.
with a stock price up 143% this year. Its revenue almost doubled in the third quarter to $767 million alone, and its president, Harley Finkelstein, said the
“I'm lucky to be in an industry that is successful during this time, which is why I always try to give back and try to help all my makers” - John Kish
coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the online transition by a decade. “I think you’re going to see a massive paradigm shift,” he said in an interview with CNBC. “My grandparents are now going to buy groceries online for the rest of their lives, which is something that never would’ve happened.” At a first glance, an online shop is an answer. Yet it takes time, energy and large upfront costs to stay on top of constantly shifting inventory, supported by the need for high-quality photos, snappy captions and adjusted pricing. Not
to mention facing the lines at the postal office. “My struggle is trying to figure out how to continue to sell everyone’s work, when I don’t have an online store, and I don’t really have the time or money to set one up,” says Renner. “That’s one of the details I’m having a hard time with right now is figuring out how to sell everyone’s work, and keep everyone sustained and happy.” Instagram success story, shared Many small retailers find a happy medium between an online shop and cultivating an online presence in Instagram stories. It’s a way to easily distribute bite-sized pieces of daily content while gently reminding customers that they are still there. One such example is the Somewhere That’s Green Instagram—a newly opened plant “shoppe” in the Old Mill. Owner John Kish expanded in the summertime, a seemingly counterintuitive approach if not for the fact that newly quarantined folks are flocking to “greenify” their spaces. “We haven’t seen a plant boom this big since the ‘70s,” he told me. Kish posts daily Instagram stories and makes a big push to incorporate local designers, who he says are struggling because of the lack of seasonal markets. “I’m lucky to be in an industry that is successful during this time, which is why I always try to give back and try to help all my makers,” says Kish, who has 20 local designers in his store. He notes he’s seen an uptick in local makers receiving custom orders when he tags them in a post. “I think Bend is very local-centric, and so I think driving that unique angle with cross-promotion is really important.” Continued on p. 11