Recently, many small businesses in Kalamazoo have been expanding and getting a lot of good feedback from the community. 

Kalamazoo has a lot of small businesses that many residents don’t know about, for example, Acree Boutique, Swindle & Brute, No Limit, D1’s Kitchen, Luxe Lash, Sweet Treats, Nailz By Jess, Mosqueda Munchies and Milani Clothing Co.

Over the past few months since the coronavirus outbreak, businesses have lost clientele. ¨The number of active business owners in the United States plummeted by 3.3 million or 22% over the crucial 2‐month window from February to April 2020. The drop in active business owners was the largest on record, and losses to business activity were felt across nearly all industries,¨ according to the Wiley Online Library.

Many have resorted to social media to expand their business more and get that clientele back. There have also been a lot more teenagers in the Kalamazoo community that have started their own small business. 

With the help of the Kalamazoo community, clients get the word out on social media platforms like Facebook. Numerous individuals from the community share a photo about what they bought from the store to help promote their business.  It’s always good for the owners to get the word out by using social media because nowadays a large variety of people is on Facebook. There are also many groups on Facebook you can join that give information about local businesses. It’s good to vocally share information about businesses, that way people look it up and see for themselves. 

Kalamazoo has been very supportive of new businesses, like having pop-up shops where many small business owners get together and set up tables and display their products. This includes selling brand hoodies, uniquely designed T-shirts, lip glosses or food/treats like tacos, desserts, chocolate covered strawberries and cakes. Other entrepreneurs include upcoming nail technicians, eyelash extension specialists and hairstylists.

¨I feel like the support has grown tremendously over the years,” said owner of Swindle &  Brute Timmy Cox. Cox continued, “ At first it was a rocket start because I really wasn’t making stuff that people enjoyed wearing. I was making stuff that was cool to me and that I would wear, but I had to step outside the box and think about what was cool to other people. It’s been going well. COVID in a way had helped me and my business because with the retail stores closing, it left people no choice but to support small businesses like my own that’s exactly what ended up happening, and it worked out in my favor really well, and it helped change my life and helped me build more for my brand.¨ 

It’s always great to support locally because supporting locally means you care about the community you live in, and it shows the owners respect you have for them and their business. 

From a personal experience, I have recently started my own chocolate covered strawberry business and have gotten lots of support like making sales and the likes they get on social media, not just from the Kalamazoo community but from surrounding cities. It is tough sometimes trying to manage having a part-time job, doing school work and getting orders done on time, especially when I get a lot of orders for the same day. 

I personally post more on Instagram to promote because chocolate covered strawberries have been getting more attention on Instagram and this platform is set up for easy communication.. Although it is tough at times, I really enjoy having my own business. It has taught me a lot about time management and I just love having something to do. I have always enjoyed making treats.

Before going out and trying to find something, try to ask friends and family to check social media to see if anyone locally sells what you are looking for. There is so much in the Kalamazoo community that you might not know about and the local business owners will greatly appreciate it if you shop from their business.