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Some Evanston-based businesses have been able to adapt and thrive in the changing business environment presented by the Covid-19 restrictions.
This series is about the three of them. Has your business changed? Contact RoundTable to tell your story.
Social media in progress
Ayla original (1511 Sherman Ave.) is a retail store owned by Ayla Pizzo, a well-known beader and jewelry designer. When the Covid-19 restrictions came into effect in March 2020, she and her husband, Joe, who runs the shop, faced a total loss of income. The federal Paycheck Protection Program kept the loans afloat for the time being.
But they changed the business and created a new way of selling to customers’ homes: they became social media entrepreneurs and hosted Bead TV on Facebook Live two or three times a week.
Through hard work and patience, and some encouragement from their good friend and seasoned Facebook Live host, Carol Freeman, the Pizzos maintained this and developed a following.
Their audience wasn’t large, but the following were die-hard ballers who recognized the breadth of choice and knowledge offered by Pizzo. And buy featured products. Weekly sales improved.
Once the Covid-19 restrictions eased a bit and stores exited in July 2020, retail traffic still dropped significantly. Ayla’s Originals is located in downtown Evanston, 100 feet north of the Holiday Inn Chicago-North Evanston. Before Covid, the store benefited from tourists staying at the guesthouse and wandering around downtown. That summer, the hotel catered to the homeless, not tourists.
But thanks to the success of Bed TV, the store’s income stabilized even though Ayla and Ayla were both exhausted.
They work the store Wednesday-Sunday, film six-seven hours a week and spend another day managing receipts, packing and shipping orders. Ayla described her state of mind as “retail on fire.”
The next big push is to launch their new website and include a feature that allows viewers to order directly from Bead TV.
Switch to Flower Design Studio
For the past 23 years, Joanne Lehmann owned Flower Blossom (1110 Davis St.), a flower shop located across from the main post office branch. She also changed her business model due to covid-19.
Before it was a store where people could walk in and buy flowers or plants without an appointment, now Lehman’s business is a floral design studio.
She shut down her government job for six weeks. She laid off her employees to collect unemployment. When they finally returned, Covid restrictions kept people outside the store. Lehman finds she and her staff are more efficient without compromising on handling random retail traffic.
Most of their business these days is providing event flowers for weddings, anniversaries, bar and bat mitzvahs. While many large weddings have been postponed during the pandemic, many others have gone ahead on a more intimate scale. Lehman says, “Every bride still wants a bouquet.
Lehman launched a successful subscription program for weekly or monthly flower deliveries, and her customers continued to send flowers.
Lehmann said, “You have to remember the early days of Covid before the vaccine. We clean everything, especially the things we use for flowers.
“People are stuck in their homes, they can’t see their friends, but they still want to show support, show they care, and what better way to do that than with flowers? I realize how lucky we are to live and work here and have a clientele that supports luxury.
She now has more people working for her than pre-Covid. Her biggest headache is an unpredictable supply chain. She said, “I never thought things would turn out the way they did in March 2020. We feel very lucky.
Finding shape in the open space
Another business owner who has shown ingenuity and ingenuity is that of Tony Mintz. Sharp Edge CrossFit (1326 Dodge Ave.). Mintz, a relatively new business owner, has only been with Sharp Edge CrossFit in Evanston for about five years.
But she grew up here and loves the community.
Mintz said support from former Mayor Elizabeth Tisdale’s office was a big factor in her signing the lease here instead of Skokie. A graduate of ETHS class of 2002, Mintz has always been athletic. After attending the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City with her family in February 2002, she quickly fell in love with figure skating. She told her parents she wanted to become a speed skater and try out for the Olympics.
And she qualified for the Olympic Trials three times in the 3,000-meter speed skating event. After her retirement, Mintz attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. and graduated with a master’s degree in business and law in four years.
Mintz worked and coached in CrossFit throughout graduate school. She found owning a gym, helping people get healthy and being her own boss was a fulfilling career. She combined all her interests and put her education to good use.
She started looking to open a gym in Skokie, but kept running into bureaucratic problems. She thought of a gym with garage doors, which narrowed her options considerably. Tisdale then approached Mintz and said he would help her find a place in Evanston. Paul Zalmeczak, manager of the city’s economic development department, participated and gave directions in the city.
She found a place in Evanston with the garage doors she wanted, and she’s still there. In the year She signed the lease on August 1, 2017. Mintz opened the gym two months later.
It’s a membership model, not a drop-in, and there are classes throughout the day. Garage doors are open from spring to autumn when it doesn’t rain, but before covid they used to use solid heating for the winter months when the garage doors were closed.
Covid restrictions have been hit and the gym has been closed for 10 weeks. When it was opened, the capacity would be reduced and the garage doors would be left open. Mintz said the heating was on and members wearing masks were working on winter weather suits. They warmed up with practices led by Mintz and other coaches.
The members liked the new approach. Membership has increased by 33 percent since the outbreak. Mintz said people seem excited to be able to get out of the house and continue their exercise routine. As the epidemic spread, Mintz reduced the class size slightly to eight. It’s up to around 10 now.
The changes to her business were prompted by the pandemic. Still, Mintz says they’ve helped him grow his business and differentiate himself from other North Shore athletes looking to stay in shape or get in shape.
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