KYW Newsradio's Community Comeback series checks in on Philadelphia neighborhoods and livelihoods to find out how small businesses made it through the pandemic and how they are surviving, and even thriving, today.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The coronavirus pandemic caused a shortage of just about everything — except for at-home hobbies.
“The amount of home projects was remarkable, to say the least,” said Michelle Connelly, co-manager of Fairmount Hardware. She said business increased for her staff as people came in to get supplies for projects they had previously put off.
“It was a lot of paint projects, a lot of wood projects,” she said. As demand increased, “we weren’t able to meet them because it was a national shortage on a lot of items that you did not expect to have a national shortage.”
Wood and anything cleaning-related was nearly impossible to keep in stock.
“Things that you would not expect to be gone — air fresheners — gone,” she added.
Cris George, a mechanic a Fairmount Bicycles, felt the stock shortage as well.
“The commonplace parts that we always have were hard to get,” he said, including new bicycles, which were also in short supply. “We’re only starting to now get 2021 bikes when we normally start getting them in October and November [of the year before].”
Connelly senses the supply chain is slowly recovering, but her methods of stocking up have changed: “If you don’t back order it, it’s not going to come. You’re gonna wait another three months.”
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While some were busy trying their hands at bread-making at home, Rybread on Fairmount Avenue had a consistent amount of customers filter through.
“We’re in such a residential neighborhood, it’s not like we’re downtown where it’s all office buildings,” said general manager Mika Beccone. “Everyone lives over here. They don’t have to commute anywhere. They’re coming right to us to grab a sandwich and [they’re] going right back home.
“When they come in in the morning, they’ll get their breakfast sandwich and their lunch for the rest of the day too. So people are spending more money and just coming in one time.”
Rybread catering has dropped off significantly, as the majority of people returning to in-person work are in hospitals and schools, not so much office settings.
Everyday business, however, has skyrocketed, and maintaining staff has been a challenge.
“We had to close a couple random days because we’ve had such short staff,” Beccone said.
Although hours have been cut, Rybread expanded its bakery to keep up with the demand for sweets.
“Everyone is sitting at home and they’re like, ‘I deserve a cupcake! I deserve a cookie!’ ” said Beccone. “The tips have been great, which is amazing for us.”
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Those who may deem themselves cookie-worthy at home are also contributing to an increase in people with sitting-related health problems.
At Wallace & Nilan Physical Therapy, physical therapist Bill Pinkerton said they are seeing a lot more people for work-from-home injuries.
“They sit on the couch with a laptop, hunched over,” he said. “It’s not that we never saw that before, I feel like we just see a higher volume of that in a much younger person.”
His office stayed open throughout the pandemic, as it was ruled an essential business. That almost made it more of a challenge.
“Finding different ways to treat our patients rather than in person,” Pinkerton said. Social distancing guidelines meant they had to treat fewer people at a time. “We have to schedule accordingly and put people in certain places so there’s no more than 10 people in a room.”
The business took a hit, but it was rebuilt, and all employees who were furloughed in 2020 were brought back this year.
“2021 came and is going. We’re halfway through, and it’s better.”