This is a crazy time to be alive much less be in business. If you own a business you’re struggling to balance the need to earn money with the need to keep people safe and prevent the spread of the virus. I wanted to share how some businesses are coping with the rules they must now work under. Austin-centric, sorry.
Margaritas and Beer to go!
Austin Breweries only recently (the law was passed six months ago) began to be able to sell their cans of beer from their brewery (crazy they couldn’t before right?). But it turns out El Arroyo (famous for their signs) just recently started selling Margaritas to go! 3 pack 19 dollars!
Article from KVUE.
Bookpeople offers curbside pickup
Sure you can order books online and have them delivered to your home, but what if you REALLY want a new book right NOW! Austin Independent book seller Bookpeople has you covered. Read more about it on their website, and while you’re at it order a book from an independent company!
Vulcan Video also offering curbside!
Did you know video stores still exist? I did as I Luv Video is one of my favorite video stores. Vulcan is a close second, but wasn’t located near where I lived. Well, Vulcan is offering curbside pickup (honestly, everyone should at least be offering this temporarily). I Luv Video is keeping its doors open for now. Why shop at a video store? Because not every movie is available for streaming (usually due to music rights and other issues), heck not every video is even on DVD?
Article on Austin360.com
Distilleries make hand sanitizer
You’ve probably seen that Tito’s had to tell people that you cannot make hand sanitizer with their vodka, but what I didn’t know is that there is something called the head and the tail, products that can’t be used in the final product, but is used to clean and disinfect the production facilities. Learn more below:
In Blanco, Milam & Greene Distillery is about to release its own hand sanitizer made using the heads of the distillation process. Called Heads & Hearts Hand Sanitizer, it will be packaged and available for free to anyone who wants it. Milam & Greene also plans to distribute the hand sanitizer to all of the brand’s retail accounts (again, for free).
During the distillation process of any spirit, the first compounds released in the still as it heats up are known as the “heads” — and these vapors are generally undesirable for the final product. So are the tails. It’s the stuff that comes in between, the heart, that distillers seek out.
At Milam & Greene, both the heads and tails generally get used to clean and disinfect its production facility, but master distiller Marlene Holmes is making more for the packaged hand sanitizer, making sure it’s at a high enough proof to be effective in destroying the virus. Bottles will be distributed this week in Austin, as well as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
austin360.com
That’s just a sampling of what I’ve found, let me know in the comments how your small business is managing or if you’ve seen any innovative strategies by small businesses to keep sales coming in. Stay safe out there!
Joe Robles 