 Since 1980 The Skaneateles Festival-world class music by the lake, has brought classical music to the Finger Lakes region. Renowned talent has drawn audiences from the far reaches of the area. Venues have varied, with each providing just the right ambience. Whether in a barn, a library hall, an open field, or a vineyard, audiences have been treated to the uppermost levels of entertainment.
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 Lydia Montgomery’s long-time vision of opening her very own sewing education and seamstress business was finally realized with the opening of “Lydia’s Daily Thread” in the Gear Factory at the corner of West Fayette and South Geddes streets in the westside of Syracuse.
 Up until now, Stephanie McCall has created custom quilts as a one woman show. However, COVID shutdowns made her re-imagine her customers’ experience.
While the part of Stephanie’s business that required in-person consultations suffered very early on in the pandemic, she was able to adapt by changing her procedures. She re-organized her processes and notified her customers so that they would be aware that she was doing the very best she could to keep their product(s) safe.  What do you do when the Covid-19 pandemic literally shuts down your whole operation?
You get creative and pivot to an operation where you are staying relevant while fulfilling your mission. This is the situation faced by the Center for the Arts of Homer - and the approach they took to deal with that trying business period.  The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded more than $7.5 billion dollars through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program to live venue operators, promoters, arts organizations, talent representatives, motion picture theater operators, museums, and theatrical producers.
Over 10,000 live entertainment venues, small businesses and not-for-profit agencies have received funding through this program out of nearly 15,500 SVOG applicants.  During the peak of the COVID pandemic last holiday season, Skaneateles Artisans owner Teresa Vitale found herself in a similar position to many other retail brick & mortar businesses – revenue waning due to a lack of customers who were appropriately social distancing at home and either reducing their purchasing or relying on e-commerce outlets.
 The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the adoption of e-commerce sites and online shopping portals for small enterprises; and Mixed Methods in Hanover Square, Syracuse, is no different.
In fact, owner Amy Wilson has demonstrated some of the best practices in moving her shop inventory online quickly and professionally.  New Norms, New Possibilities: During these unprecedented times, small businesses need to pivot and adapt more than ever. Many gyms are doing virtual workouts, many restaurants and retail shops are offering curbside pickups. Online has been the new normal for meetings, buying products, and providing services. However, what about entertainment businesses? What are they doing to stay ahead of the game to be able to offer their product to the public? Wunderbar, a new LGBTQ bar and theatre near Armory Square, was forced to close on the one-year anniversary of their soft opening.
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Email: sbdc@sunyocc.edu
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Phone: 315-498-6070
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Onondaga Small Business Development Center. Partnership Program with the SBA, administered by the State University of New York. Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
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