Small businesses and non-profits are especially hard hit during the coronavirus outbreak. We get it! Baltimore Fishbowl is a small business, too. To help small businesses and non-profits, we will provide regular updates to let you know how they are coping.
The following is an update from Kara Brook Brown, Owner & Beekeeper of Waxing Kara on how they are adapting and coping during these times.
How have you altered your business to adapt to the quarantine?
Like everyone else, we’ve had to temporarily close our retail business. We’ve done quite a bit to grow and improve our online business.
- We’ve shifted from being a brick and mortar store to an online establishment.
- Our online wholesale business is still up and running also. Several of our online wholesale customers are still doing well, thankfully.
- We’ve separated to make sure that everyone stays healthy independently. We wanted to mitigate risk by each working apart. One person goes into the shop daily to fill orders.
Are you doing something for the community or your employees that you want to share with our readers?
This started a couple weeks ago. We’ve been sending products to frontline healthcare workers. It’s a grass-roots effort, not being done through the hospital, but through healthcare workers to share with their coworkers. So far we’ve sent 400 units of product. We hope to do more as time passes.
What is the status of your employees?
It’s been a big adjustment. Everyone who is full time, is still full time. Our part-time staff went to Stevenson University. When the school closed they went to their respective homes (out of state). If they come back, they still have a job.
How can readers help you get through the crisis?
Please support us online. Use Fishbowl15 at checkout for a 15% discount until May 5th (just in time for mother’s day)
How are you coping, personally?
To be honest, I have good days and bad days but I sure try to find silver linings in every day. Since I am on the farm right now, it’s not hard to go out for a walk and see beautiful and fascinating nature. After the last storm, I got this snapshot. I have lived here for at least 10 years and have only ever seen him in passing, but for some reason, on this particular day he posed for me.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Being closer to our bees and that has been a blessing. By being here, I was able to time how the colonies grow and prevent swarming. Swarming is a natural event in the bee world, but I learned for the first time how to avoid it.
The thing that looks like a peanut is a queen cell, it enables us to split our colonies and grow the apiary by moving that frame, and several other frames of brood and nurse bees to a new hive.
Learn more about Waxing Kara by visiting the website or Facebook Page. As Kara mentioned, readers can support the business by shopping online. Use Fishbowl15 at checkout for a 15% discount until May 5th.
If you represent a local small business or non-profit and would like to share your update with our readers, contact Nicole Allen at nicole@baltimorefishbowl.com. During the crisis, we will offer these sponsored posts for free as a service to the community.
