COMMUNITY MAGAZINE March 2021

22 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE At the beginning of 2020, the American economy seemed stronger than it’s ever been in history. Businesses small and large were thriving. Then, March happened. Gd pushed the pause button on everyday life. The streets were empty. Every single brick-and-mortar business that was not absolutely essential to life, shut its doors. All businesses, even those without physical buildings, were affected. For example, as all Broadway shows and sports games were cancelled, companies that operated online ticket sales lost their business. As all social events were cancelled, people like hair or makeup artists, DJs, and photographers were suddenly out of work. The U.S. plunged from the lowest unemployment rates in history to the highest. In April of 2020, the unemployment rate increased by a whopping 10.3 percent! When both mom and dad lose their jobs or businesses, but rent, tuition, and credit card bills are still due, you either sink or get creative. Many had no choice but to call it quits, but others pivoted and conquered. Here’s an inside look at some of our community’s business heroes of the COVID-19 crisis. Balloons of The Shore: Owner/Operator Jessica Esses As a party planner, I’ve always been creative and been able to overcome adversity. When Corona hit, I had a ton of cancellations, and all the upcoming events I was working on suddenly got put to a halt, indefinitely. My husband, Ricky Esses, is a DJ, and his events, too, were cancelled. We suddenly found ourselves in an impossible situation. We have children in school, bills to be paid, and I didn’t know how we were going to get through it, but I knew it couldn’t go on like this. May 4, 2020 was my friend’s birthday. We couldn’t even dream about getting together then, but I really wanted to do something special for her, so I went to my basement and looked through my leftovers from parties past, trying to find anything to decorate my car with, to drive by and make her feel special. I made a sign and then kept digging, when I came across a bag of balloons I had left over from a previous event. I blew them up with my mouth, tied them together, and taped them to my car to make a festive garland. It was perfect! When I drove by, my friend was elated and impressed with what I had done. She convinced me to post it on a large community chat. Never in amillion years would I have imaginedwhat happened next. By the end of the day, I had two orders for these balloon garlands. I was hesitant to do it, but I knew that if I could cheer some people up during these trying times, it would be worth it. I took the orders, bought some more balloons and an air machine, and got to work blowing them up and putting together displays. Then I got a few more orders, and though it was difficult, I managed. I got a call that Hillel Yeshiva was planning an outdoor graduation and wanted to decoratewithmy balloon creations. All my children currently attend Hillel, and as an involved PTA parent, I will always be there to help Hillel. I knew I had to take this job. Things started getting hectic. Every parent wanted balloons for their child to come home to after INGENUITY  SHUTDOWN: How Community Businesses Found Their Way During the Pandemic IN THE FACE OF A FRIEDA SCHWEKY