The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Business try to stay upbeat in 'new' normal
Whether opening or just surviving, owners see the possibilities.
A downtown Roswell restaur ant owner opened her business last summer, figuring the pandemic would last only a few more months. By January she considered permanently closing it. Meredith Longwith opened Can
ton St. Social in August with her brother and chef Gregory Marer. Since then, the restaurant has been through swings high and low. And although she thought about selling it only weeks ago, Longwith said an increase in business has made her more optimistic about the restaurant’s future. “We are at capacity with reservations, Fridays and Saturdays,” she said, adding that the restaurant is still operating in negative numbers. “All other days it’s slower.”
Businesses everywhere have weathered a long, slow year of temporary shutdowns, mask mandates and customers unwilling to dine or shop as they once did. Financial help from the federal and l ocal governments aimed at keeping businesses afloat has helped some remain open but many, including some in north Fulton, have closed.
Throughout the pandemic, new businesses have continued t o launch. When The Atlanta Journal- Constitution asked small businesses what would make them consider a startup when many are struggling to survive, owners of new and existing businesses
said they saw a path that could work in the “new” normal times.
Not every business owner has made it work. In Roswell, 592 new businesses have opened since January 2020 and 824 have closed, according to the cit y. In Sandy Springs, 569 new business licenses were applied for since January 2020. Communications Direc