Hey everyone! This quarantine really has taken the wind out of our sails; our social lives really are at all an all time low, Facetimes become our only passtime, and we spend all day on Zoom calls listening to lectures. But the most important thing that we forget about in our day to day lives: local businesses. You may not think much about them, the corner store businesses that have been around for what feels like centuries, but those stores are the true victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. With everyone at home, no one has the need, want, or drive, to go outside and go shop at these local businesses.
To solve this problem, we introduce to you the Buy Local Campaign, helping bring awareness to struggling local businesses since the summer of 2020. Now you may ask, well what is the buy local campaign? And why should I care? Well, we are glad you asked. The Buy Local Campaign helps divulge the information you're missing out on about the stores that are of your community, by your community, and for your community.
We have developed this Buy Local Campaign to help businesses that are in need of our support during these unprecedented times. We are focused on using the strength, support, and ability of the student body to help bring awareness to this problem and bring these places a newer and larger customer base. Not only are we centered on promoting awareness for these local businesses, but we are also excited to tell their stories. Many people never get the chance to hear the stories that founded the companies fueling our local economies. We hope that by educating people on these matters and sharing the personal stories of each business, our community will become much more informed about the importance of responsible consumerism and supporting local businesses!
Scoopzilla
Tired of having to travel long distances to get quality ice cream, founders Kevin Quach, Michael Ma, and Kevin Lam wanted to establish their own ice cream shop nearby. With foundations in cooking and owning a small business as well as degrees in business, the three set out to form Scoopzilla. At Scoopzilla, ice cream and toppings are all made in house with the freshest produce and most natural ingredients. Their unique, seasonal flavors can be topped with a curated blend of handpicked toppings that beautifully complement each other, known as “Zilla Style”. Slowly evolving from just a treat made to eat with friends to a location in a bakery to their very own store in Westgate Mall, they have become determined to develop an ice cream line so monstrous, it would take up the whole city. COVID-19 brought many challenges to them and their mall location, as they were heavily set back due to closures and restrictions. They are having trouble even after opening because people aren't very eager to go out for ice cream in a mall during the pandemic. Treat yourself and support Scoopzilla!
Thai Spoons
Opened in 1994, Thai Spoons is an authentic Thai cuisine restaurant. This family-owned business was started by a mother who loves to cook and her husband's experience working in his own family business. After graduating, their two children would join the restaurant as well (one of which is a founder of Scoopzilla). Thai Spoons is best known for their friendly service and amazing food. Try Thai classics like Tom Yum, Pad Thai, or mango sticky rice. The quality and flavors of the food does not disappoint and people go back there so many times that they become family. However, due to COVID-19, the restaurant has faced many struggles. Not only did they have to close for a long period of time, but restrictions on dining and people's unwillingness to go out and buy food has become a problem. Catering events have been canceled and delivery apps take large cuts on their food. Yet, Thai Spoons is standing to serve their community the quality food like always. Order takeout on a cozy night in!
FloMask
FloMask is a startup here in the Bay Area. They develop reusable masks, which filters out over 99.8% of viral matter and 99.9% of bacteria, for young kids ages 4-12. These masks can be reused for a long period of time with their custom replaceable filters. Back in 2018, the owner, Kevin, saw an issue where young kids did not have a comfortable mask option. Living in California where there are wildfires and other hazardous air pollutants, Kevin sought to develop a solution to offer a comfortable mask specialized for kids. He invented a sub-micron filtration mask, dubbed the “FloMask”. He and a team of product developers 3D scanned the faces of elementary children in order to have the most comfortable and effective mask. This pandemic has made his original mission more crucial than ever as parents find ways to protect their children from this deadly virus. However, there were several struggles that he had to overcome in order to achieve his final goal. Being a startup, FloMask has struggled to gain visibility in the mask market. The Buy Local Campaign will assist his company to share this product with the community through social media campaigns. The company also overcame issues with the supply chain, which was further exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19. The FloMask will launch this December so stay tuned for updates!
Rachel the Photographer
Rachel the Photographer is a local Bay Area photography service owned and operated by Rachel. She brings the camera and other equipment to the location of her customer’s choice, which could be a serene park, nature preserve, or the rolling hills with stunning views. She believes in giving her all to capture her customer’s most important moments. Being a photographer was her dream job as she loves meeting new people and getting to know their unique stories; she enjoys making and capturing memories through the medium of photography. However, the COVID-19 Pandemic has caused a drop in demand for business as many do not desire to have photoshoots during this time. She has overcome this by adapting how she conducts her sessions by taking all of the precautions needed to have a safe environment. Though Rachel primarily does photoshoots for families, she will gladly do other sessions for graduation, weddings, and other milestone moments. She has had difficulty reaching a wide range of consumers as they do not know what events Rachel will do a photoshoot for. The Buy Local Campaign aims to help her market her superb photography service to a wider audience of customers. Book a photoshoot with her for the coolest holiday cards to send to all your friends and family!
Corazon
Corazon is a local restaurant in Sunnyvale. They serve some of the most unique Mexican food in the area. Some menu items include excellent churros and delicious burritos. Their main goal is to spread the Mexican and Spanish culture in our community through serving high-quality food. They want to show people what authentic Mexican food is, even though it might not be the most popular or well-known dish. However, as you have heard in the news, the COVID-19 Pandemic has adversely impacted the restaurant industry, especially in California. Corazon has done a phenomenal job to adapt its business to best serve its customers during this time. They set up outdoor dining tables, socially distanced of course. Furthermore, the business has also witnessed a sharper drop in business during non-peak hours. The Buy Local Campaign looks to market the company’s great snack options, something that customers can purchase during these non-peak times to help stimulate the restaurant’s business. When peak hours come around, the business faces the opposite problem; their restaurant is too small to accommodate everyone. These problems are further exacerbated during times where social distancing is required by law. If restaurants do not comply, they might get their special COVID-19 permit revoked, forcing them to close. Corazon has continued to maintain high standards of social distancing and has set up systems to streamline the process of ordering and take out. The Buy Local Campaign looks to increase Corazon’s business and this unique restaurant’s visibility. Instead of going to Chipotle for a burrito, head over to Corazon for an authentic Mexican and Spanish culinary experience.
Hopefully this gives a good overview of the businesses that the Buy Local Campaign has partnered with and the campaign intends to assist these businesses. Though each has been adversely impacted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all the owner have adapted their businesses to best serve their customers. Go out and support our featured business as well as others in Santa Clara County whenever possible! Stay tuned to the campaign as we delve deeper into each one's story and why it's important to buy local!
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