The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted local small businesses in ways that could be expected, but it's also opened up new business avenues for those able to adapt.
Almost 25 Jefferson City businesses participated in Small Business Saturday - which is an annual nationwide event held the Saturday after Thanksgiving as a small business equivalent to Black Friday.
Due to the pandemic, this year's Jefferson City event was opened to businesses without requiring the typical financial commitment. The Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and East Side and West Side business associations also sponsored more than $900 to pay advertising and gift certificates awarded to shoppers who signed up at participating businesses.
One of the participating businesses was River City Florist, which is operated by Lauren Moscato and her father, Mike Moscato.
Moscato said she expected the weekend to be a good one for business, especially given that Christmas-related sales typically hit strong right after Thanksgiving.
"We've been doing really well, just not in larger events," and those losses from disrupted events such as weddings, funerals and dances are what's been hurting business, Moscato said.
Earlier this fall, River City Florist was named Small Business of the Year, an award from the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce that recognizes a business based on its success, how the business adapts to a changing business environment and evidence of contributions to the community.
"Our biggest money makers are weddings and funerals. For a couple months, those events were canceled/rescheduled or done at such a small scale to where people were not needing flowers," according to the business's application for the award, which it received in October.
The pandemic isn't the only hit the florist has taken this year - literally - after the hailstorm in April shattered the roof of its greenhouse and left the shards of broken glass dangling in an unsafe condition.
Fixing the greenhouse has been a challenge in itself - Moscato said she feels like she's "building a small house" - but it's hoped that will be done by the end of the year.
The florist's application for Small Business of the Year noted it was able to overcome its obstacles by "making up for the loss of income in other areas."
Moscato said there are still clients who are letting florists come into their homes to decorate, and people who aren't going on vacations because of the pandemic have more money on hand to spend locally on decorations and gifts.
A boost in the amount of money on-hand for some customers has also benefited Coleman Appliance, another business that officially participated in Small Business Saturday and was a finalist for the Small Business of the Year Award.
Coleman Appliance's manager Janna Mahan said business has been and continues to be "considerably busier" this year, which was in part kicked off by the stimulus checks people received from the federal government as part of pandemic relief, as well as people not traveling and having more money to spend.
"Because many of our customers are staying at home and using their appliances more, it has created a need for updated or replacement appliances," the business noted in its application for the local chamber of commerce's business award.
Plenty of other Missourians are still suffering because of the economic effects of the pandemic, though Gov. Mike Parson's office reported last week that 63 percent of the 346,000 jobs lost in the spring have been recovered.
The state's unemployment rate had hit more than 10 percent earlier this year, but it has since declined to 4.6 percent in October - though the labor force has also shrunk some because of people who've exhausted their unemployment benefits no longer being counted as part of the workforce.
The owners and managers of River City Florist, Coleman Appliance and Will West Music & Sound - another local business officially participating in Small Business Saturday - all said they were able to keep their employees on this year, though Moscato said she lost one who was going to retire anyway.
In terms of the high demand for appliances, Mahan said a lot of appliances are still back-ordered, and four-piece kitchen packages have been especially popular, along with washers and dryers - the basic essentials.
"There's certainly appliances you can live without - a dishwasher, contrary to some people's belief," she said.
Even businesses that have been successful this year, or have at least managed to get by, have had to adapt to the pandemic, however.
Coleman Appliance noted in its application for the local chamber of commerce's business award that "Our delivery drivers wear masks and foot coverings when delivering to a customer's home so we have been able to continue to deliver and install appliances."
Mahan said before the pandemic the business had been getting ready to kick off activities in its demonstration kitchen, and it would do that again when possible.
Moscato said River City Florist has introduced virtual shopping - trying to have people feel as much as possible like they're in the store by posting pictures. They let people pay over the phone and have items left on doorsteps.
Will West, owner of Will West Music & Sound, said the store is offering some virtual music lessons in addition to its in-person ones - though demand for lessons overall went down for a bit and has been rebounding.
West said the business has made more sales online this year, and sales of guitars specifically have picked up this year. It's tough sometimes to get a chunk of those increased online sales because beginners who shop online don't necessarily have a relationship with the store, he added.
A major guitar vendor - Fender Guitars - also this year started doing direct sales online, after saying for years they wouldn't, West said.
However, even if someone hasn't bought their guitar through the store, West said he's glad people are learning, and they may bring their guitar in to the store for service or to purchase accessories.
Though the store also sells high-end guitars to customers as far away as Malibu, California, and they get travelers on their way to the Lake of the Ozarks. West said it's the business's commercial customer side that has probably had its biggest year ever.
That's due to work helping churches set up and learn how to use the equipment necessary to stream services online - including sound systems, projectors and sound absorbing materials to cut down on reverberations in rooms - as far away as Hannibal or Bland.
Speaking as a musician, singer and songwriter himself, West said playing for a streaming service is just not the same as playing for a congregation in-person, however: "I think people want to get to normalcy."
West said the band he's in usually played twice a week, but this year, the they've only had a total of five gigs.
In the meantime, he's had more time to practice and work on a song, and he enjoys being where he is.
"We've got a great city and great people. It's just a great place," he said. "Everything you need you can get here, pretty much."
Though small businesses have had chances to receive pandemic aid of their own - including Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Paycheck Protection Program aid, and funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act - Parson urged Missourians last week to continue to support their local small businesses.
His office noted more than 45 percent of employed Missourians receive a paycheck from working at a small business, and more than 89 percent of the state's private sector employers are small businesses that each have less than 20 employees.
"Now more than ever, small businesses need our support, and the holiday season is a perfect opportunity to do that," Parson said.
Public health guidance and other resources for businesses are available at showmestrong.mo.gov/new-business-page/.