I urge you to shop locally and support local businesses

The Covid lockdowns may have finished, but that doesn’t mean businesses have recovered. I know I have a business Xara Skin Clinic in Lane Cove. Before Covid we where doing well growing and investing in equipment. In a high technology business such as this, having the best and the latest is important to deliver results to customers.

Take for example January was the worst month ever, we where down 80%, yes it is recovering but slowly and is no where near pre Covid. In January we had to let our staff go as there was no work or money to pay them, it is tough but you have to do what you have to do. Yes I know we are not the only ones.

Little Red Robbin

The fantastic restaurant below us opened just before Covid and was closed just after by NSW Health. They got nothing from the government as the test was what you where doing a year ago compared to then. They where not open a year ago, so nothing and where prevented from earning money.

Thankfully they pulled through, but it cost them.

What is a local business

A local business can be your next door neighbour, someone that knows your name. Someone that you can have a chat too and is interested in you and not just your money. They are not like your multi national companies that are run by marketing teams, the outlets are cool and you are just $’s to them.

What pain was caused?

You only have to look around to see it, in the affluent North Shore it seems that every third or four shop is up for lease. This comes from a what I see as a misguided policy that put the protection of all on small businesses. The businesses where nowhere near compensated for the losses, to protect others.

Now these failed businesses, where in most cases not the fault of the owners running the businesses, some have been running for years. What this has caused is for owners to lose their livelihood and in some cases their homes. Lock downs and people not going out and spending.

Under a rock

People can’t live for ever under a rock, you have to live a life. Our house is double vaxed yet we have three covid cases in the house in two months. One could ask if the governments response was disproportionate to the risk? None of us need medical care and in most cases the flue was worse.

Spend local

Please spend locally and help your businesses that are still taking a hit from Covid. They are the ones that did the heavy lifting and go screwed for doing it.