How to Support Small Businesses During Unexpected Closures

Unexpected closures caused by weather events, road closures, or other unforeseen circumstances can be catastrophic for small businesses, removing important sales days and making it virtually impossible to meet monthly goals. This can make it difficult to make rent, pay staff, keep the lights on, and keep the business running.

If your favorite small business has recently experienced a closure, here are a few ways you can help.

Shop online.

This may sound obvious, but for some hyper-local businesses, customers are so accustomed to shopping in person that the idea of purchasing online may not even cross their mind.

For small restaurants, check if they use DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, or any other food delivery services. Keep in mind, though, that if the business is closed completely due to inclement weather, delivery may not be an option.

For other small businesses, check what online shopping options are available. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Buy a gift card.

Gift cards can help provide a steady income stream even while the doors are closed!

Check if they sell gift cards online. E-gift cards that can be delivered to your email inbox or to a text message are especially great because they don't require a physical order fulfillment.

For stores that don't sell gift cards online, give them a call and see if they process your order during the closure. They might not be able to, but it can't hurt to check!

Place an order for the future

Your favorite cookie baker would be thrilled to see an order come through, especially if you don't need it for another week or two. Receiving income now + fulfillment that takes place after the dust has settled = pretty much the ideal situation.

Be the first in line when the store re-opens.

Once the ice melts or the flood waters recede, be ready to jump into action. Your favorite small business needs sales, and they need them fast!

Follow their social media channels and comment on their posts!

It's almost cliche at this point, but if you can't make a purchase or don't need their services right away, boosting the size of their audience is a great alternative.

Plus, if you comment on their content, that tells the algorithm what's important and can help expand their reach.

Share the love.

Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! Tell your barista at your favorite coffee shop! Shout it from the rooftops! Make sure everyone knows about this great small business!

Buy merch.

Not every small business offers merch, but the ones that do would love to see you repping their brand on your clothing, your car, or your emotional support water bottle.

Not sure if they offer merch?

Just ask! Even if they don't have merch available, maybe this will be the nudge they need to order some in the future!

Ask if they accept donations.

Not every small business will be willing to accept donations. Business owners are a proud bunch, after all. But it can't hurt to ask.

If you have the means, send over $5, $10, or $20 to help keep the lights on for a little longer.

Help out in a way that is not financial.

Maybe your budget doesn't allow you to drop a bunch of money on a sudden Venmo contribution, which is completely fair, but there might be other ways to help keep your favorite business alive!

Check if the business experienced any physical damage, especially during weather-related closures. If they did, volunteer your time to help with cleanup efforts. Offer to help spread salt on icy doorsteps or mop up floodwater.

If there was no storm damage, see if they'd accept help fulfilling online orders. Other businesses may accept gently used items for resale.

You never know what help the might need!

Make a reservation for a future date.

Pull up your favorite restaurant on OpenTable and make a reservation. Or, if they don't take reservations, pencil in a date on your calendar to pay them a visit in a few weeks.

But this advice goes beyond just restaurants. Maybe your favorite local bookstore has a game room that they'd be willing to rent out for your next game night. Or maybe your favorite bar has a party room to host your upcoming birthday celebration! Chances are, they'd be thrilled to see your reservation come through!

Be Patient

There's a good chance that online orders with your favorite small business are fulfilled in-store, by staff, so if staff isn't able to be physically on-site, orders can't get fulfilled. So be ready to wait a few extra days until the inclement weather passes and the store re-opens.

Help keep morale up.

If there's nothing your favorite business needs, you can still help them out with things they might want but would never ask for!

Drop by with a few homemade sandwiches! Or just swing by to offer hugs, once the doors are open again!

Unexpected closures can be extremely taxing for small businesses, so anything you can do to offer a smile or a bit of stress relief can go a long way. Even just a sincere "are you okay?" might be the boost a small business owner needs to keep going!

Bottom line:

There's not a lot that we can do to prevent these kinds of closures from happening, but we can certainly make sure we're doing everything in our power to help a business recover from these unplanned and unexpected events.