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An errand business delivers for its owner, despite the pandemic

May 24, 2021
Although many Black-owned businesses disappeared during the pandemic, one North Carolina concierge service has thrived.
Tina Travis, founder of Errand Girl of Durham.
Leoneda Inge/North Carolina Public Radio

Many businesses may keep the cash-free model they started in the pandemic

May 21, 2021
The pandemic has accelerated the cashless trend, according to the electronic payments company Square.
According to one expert, we were headed towards cashless businesses anyways. The pandemic got us there three years quicker.
Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for VISA Inc)

Pledges vs. action: A consultant on the future of corporate social engagement

Apr 29, 2021
Deesha Dyer started a social impact consulting firm during COVID. She hopes companies keep their promises on racial justice.
Deesha Dyer, who worked in the Obama White House and founded the social impact consulting firm Hook & Fasten, hopes companies follow through on their racial justice initiatives.
Courtesy of Deesha Dyer

Survey finds an uptick in business spending on equipment

Apr 26, 2021
The increase in capital expenditures is one of several signs that businesses anticipate strong growth in the near future.
Capital expenditures include equipment and technology like computers and point-of-sale systems in restaurants.
Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Businesses that have survived the pandemic are spending. On themselves.

Apr 21, 2021
Many businesses are pumping money into much-needed improvements, and that spending is rippling through the economy.
Some changes businesses made during the pandemic, including in the food industry, will improve operations over the long term.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Bike prices still riding high due to supply chain backups

Apr 13, 2021
Bikes and parts could cost 15% to 25% more — if there's even inventory to sell, that is.
Some cyclists are resorting to fixing up their old bikes, but shipping backups and COVID restrictions at ports mean shop owners can't get parts either.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Black small business owners are optimistic about 2021

Feb 22, 2021
According to a new survey, most expect revenue to rise, and many expect to hire more staff.
FG Trade via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The shoe economy, almost a year into the pandemic

Jan 26, 2021
With so many people staying home in their slippers, shoe sales have fallen dramatically. You can see that play out in neighborhoods.
The pandemic has emptied stores in Brooklyn, New York, that once did healthy in-person business.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images

A week in the life of a restaurant owner, ahead of a COVID winter

Dec 14, 2020
Allison Arevalo owns Pasta Louise, a Brooklyn restaurant. She kept a weeklong diary for us, as she, like many restaurant owners, faces yet another seismic change in the industry.
A Pasta Louise holiday gift basket. "I feel like my mind is just always kind of thinking about ways to keep people out and supporting us for the winter," says owner Allison Arevalo.
Allison Arevalo