Millions of small businesses have been affected by the pandemic. Whether it was the drop in the stock market or overall the lack of business in these smaller stores, these businesses have been hit hard and some have even been forced to shut down permanently.

I spoke to two local businesses in my town to get their opinion on the current situation. One being Campas Jewelers in Luzerne and the other being McManus Construction.

I first spoke to Patricia Campas one of the owners of Campas Jewelers.

Campas thinks that supporting local businesses is better than supporting large businesses. “Small businesses have always been supportive of local activities. For example, my business has supported many Wyoming Valley West sports and extracurriculars and at the end of the day local businesses are the ones who rely on your business the most.”

Patricia also told me that business is not the same as it used to be. Campas said, “The stock market has been changing and that’s really not a good thing.”

I asked her how the stock market has affected her business and she said, “The stock market does not usually affect my business, but this year gold is not in a good place, it has been trending down.”

The second business I spoke to is a local construction company in our area, McManus Construction. Ryan McManus is a professional contractor and he is an expert in many trades.

Ryan Mcmanus has luckily kept a steady flow of business like he always has. Ryan stated, “I have been lucky to keep my business successful through this harsh period of time. I have built relationships with clients who like my work, and always need help from my team, and I.”

Ryan also thinks that it is important to support local businesses like his and Patricia Campas’s.

Ryan said, “I have always tried to contribute to our areas sports and extra curricular activities. I have donated to school sports like wrestling, football, and baseball.”

As you can see, just two of the hundreds of businesses in our area are very generous and like to give back to the community.

We all know that this year has been tough for almost everyone and I’m sure local shops would be pleased to see your faces in their stores!

Supporting smaller businesses is very important and helps boost the health of the community. So please, if you like to shop, please think about supporting the people who rely on your business the most.