It’s easy to get on one’s high horse and tell everyone to stay home, as if all of America did the kind of white collar work that requires nothing much beyond a laptop and reliable WiFi. It’s easy to come out with such sentiments when one has the security brought by health insurance coverage and paid sick leave.

It’s another story when your work has not been highly valued by society in terms of giving you the promise of a steady paycheck¹, or any of those other perks. 

And still, it’s another story when you own or work for a small, local business — especially one that is relatively new. There are multiple folks in this category, in Hartford, who have just opened, re-opened, or expanded their businesses in the last couple of months. 

It takes guts, in any circumstance. Now, especially. 

The owners have had to make tough calls. Some have temporarily closed. Others continue to offer take-out or delivery, but have had to lay off² the majority of their staff, like waiters and bartenders.

All of this is to say, if you have money in your wallet, then think hard about where you spend your dollars.

The big box stores and large chains will do just fine.
The locals? That’s up to you. 

Need food for your cat or dog? Shop in Hartford. 
Need food for yourself? Shop in Hartford. 
Want a meal that you did not prepare? Order takeout from Hartford. 
Want a beverage? You’ve got one, two, three, four, five Hartford options. 

Not comfortable with those options right now? Did your favorite place close for now? Get an eCard/giftcard that you can use later when conditions improve.

 

¹If your instinct is to shame those who have been continuing to work, or trying to, I suggest refocusing your energy on fixing our system that is so broken that we have long shrugged while many people — myself included — have gone for long periods of time without healthcare, despite being employed. A system that only helps if you are absolutely destitute, but not if you are in a gray space of working multiple jobs. That’s the enemy, not the people trying to get by without a safety net. (Even if bailouts are promised, we know from history that federal assistance is not always delivered in a timely way)

Also, there has been so much misinformation passed around online. Photos that made it seem like people were still crammed into restaurants and bars days before many announced full or partial closures. Anyone who walked by establishments in Hartford during those times could tell that the rumormongers were getting their info purely secondhand. A popular brunch place downtown, last Sunday, had two people at the bar. Normally, you couldn’t get a seat there at that time, and they’d have a line out the door. Most places had just a few dine-in customers, sitting as far from each other as possible. It’s amazing what you can actually observe if you get off the internet and look for yourself.  You would not have even needed to touch a door handle — just look through the windows.

² After one restaurant was forced to lay off most of its workers, some people on Facebook had the audacity to ask what specials would be offered, and why the food was not discounted. Classy.