Owner rethinks what is ‘essential’ after chocolate shop shut down
On March 23, 2020, my company’s retail stores were deemed “nonessential” by an executive order. In that moment, a business that had thrived for 74 years was shuttered with no idea of how or when it would re-open.
As we tried to embrace the chaos, we gained clarity about the mission that lied ahead. The needs of our employees, customers and community had changed drastically. It was now our responsibility to adapt and discover new ways to serve them.
Our company has contingency plans in place for everything. We are ready to tackle floods, fires and Nor’easters, complete with check-off lists and emergency contact numbers. Yet somehow, as I scanned the table of contents of our crisis manual, I failed to find the section on navigating a global pandemic in the retail chocolate industry three weeks before Easter. In the retail confectionery world, Easter sales are comparable to Christmas, and now that holiday was in danger of being eliminated, along with the jobs of 150 of our employees.
As a manufacturer, we could have continued operations. Our Good Manufacturing Practices exceeded anything asked of us by the state and federal government. Between hiring outside companies to conduct third-party audits on our facility and our highly disciplined manufacturing team, we were ready.
However, as the breaking news of COVID-19 quickly became accompanied by graphs forecasting fatalities, it was clear that making chocolate was no longer a priority. With our retail stores closed, it was time to shut down our plant and re-imagine our business model. Curbside pick-up was no longer just for pizza, it was now for gourmet truffles, hand-crafted bunnies and almond toffee. We made it happen, safely. Even though we are a legacy brand, I think we have endured because we have always thought like a “start up.” We are nimble and fiercely creative.
The customer service we provided during this shutdown has been anything but transactional. We listened to customers cry on the phone because they could not see their parents in nursing homes, and we let them talk about their struggles home schooling children while working from home. More than anything, they were simply cracking under the weight of all the stress. We just listened. This was the new normal.
Business disruption comes in many forms. My grandparents thoughtfully guided our company through the Great Depression and sugar rations. My father navigated our company though the recession of 1980 and the global financial crisis of 2008. Every crisis comes with unique economic causalities. COVID-19 will single-handedly be responsible for erasing some of our favorite shops and restaurants from our communities, forever. Vacant store fronts will also be part of the new normal.
On May 20, retail was officially re-classified as “essential,” and for that I am profoundly grateful. We are also thankful for the brave and dedicated health care workers and first responders for keeping us safe, the UPS, FedEx and USPS drivers who shipped our products across town and nationwide and the grocery store employees who made sure we had food to eat.
I haven’t had time to update our crisis manual yet to include global pandemic, but when I do, it will read something like this.
Step 1: Review the necessary guidance provided by local and federal officials and then do two times more than they ask.
Step 2: Protect and do right by the people that helped build your business: your employees and your customers.
Step 3: When you can no longer sell what you make, give away it to someone who needs it.
Step 4: Never lose sight of the resiliency of people.
Step 5: Recognize the responsibly we have to advocate for all family-owned businesses and what we bring to the economy. Step 6: Repeat.
The prescription for our economic revival is clear. More than ever, if you are able, local businesses need support. Order take out, give the server a generous tip, get your hair done at the local salon (when they reopen), buy a new shirt and perhaps pick up some chocolates. Connecticut is carefully coming back open for business. You may not be able to tell under our masks, but we will be smiling, and we are so happy to welcome you back.