One blog cannot possibly cover The Pandemic.
but here are some things we learned:

• People cared a lot about how the pandemic was affecting Carpe Diem. We had one of our mail order customers call us up and offer advice on how to secure government resources that were becoming available to small businesses. He guided us to pertinent programs. Admittedly, we were pretty alarmed not only about the physical implications of Covid-19, but also about the unknowns of the economy. Jane spent endless hours filling out on-line applications for grants and loans. Our bank was very instrumental in helping us navigate the ins and outs of required information. Everyone was new to the whole thing, and we all rode the roller coaster together while the kinks got worked out. We took advantage of the Payroll Protection Program, we were awarded grants to help cover operating expenses, and we were approved for a large loan to give us a safety net in the event of an unforeseen economic disaster.

 

• We will always be very thankful to our local customers who quickly adapted to our version of curbside pickup. While a lot of our wholesale customers managed to figure out workarounds for their businesses, we all took a hit during the worst of it until doors could reopen and confidence return.
  When we all felt safe enough to venture back into public and we could open our front doors again it was so nice to see the familiar faces of those we hadn’t seen in sixteen months. Soon after seeing them, we would ask each other how we fared physically. For the most part we all managed to avoid hospitals. We feel fortunate that we live in a state where the vaccines were fairly welcomed by our fellow statesmen.

 

• To a person, we agreed our health and that of our neighbors was nothing to take for granted. We have slowly taken a mental count of our “regulars” and were thankful when we saw those familiar faces again. Over time we expect we will hear their stories of what it had been like for them. Being shuttered in was no picnic but it sure helped keep us all safer. We noticed chatter about gardens, and homemade bread, Netflix series, and books, hiking and new favorite outside spots. We hope we can all hang on to our new appreciation for those simple things.
  We are still in the thick of it. We hope we can all play by the rules and keep the doors open and continue to see our friends.

 

• If not for the loyalty of our customers, Carpe Diem would have been in sorry shape. We owe our existence to our faithful coffee community.

Thank you!