With the national lockdown limiting business opportunities for small and large businesses alike, buying local can become an important lifeline to various enterprises.
A Stellenbosch dressmaking business, Sew Easy, has managed to adapt their business to the nationwide lockdown by making and selling face masks. Support from the local community has been crucial in this shift.
Selling face masks has helped local businesses to generate an income during lockdown. PHOTO: Mouth Mask ZA
The owner of Sew Easy, Fyrus Abrahams, said she switched from her usual business activities – which included dressmaking, clothing manufacturing, and alterations – to sewing face masks. She did so when she noticed her client base was declining due to the national lockdown.
“Just before the lockdown, I decided to make a few masks for my two casual employees and our family,” said Abrahams.
The community showed interest in the masks and Abrahams realised that selling them could be a form of income to support her family during the lockdown, she said.
According to Abrahams, she learned how to sew masks that meet government regulations by watching YouTube tutorials and researching which designs are most recommended overseas.
If Sew Easy had closed, Abrahams would have had “no other form of income”, she said. Sew Easy now sells masks to both new and old clients.
Meanwhile, Mouth Mask ZA, a business based in Cape Town, supplies masks and other hygiene products nationwide, but has also been able to benefit from local support. This has caused a ripple effect within their community.
According to Natalie Stewart, co-founder and CEO of Mouth Mask ZA, the company has been able to support artists and performers, who are currently out of work, by equipping them to sell merchandise and earn an additional income.
“Taking care of [our] communities, both financially and professionally, has always been a core value for both co-founders,” said Stewart.
Mouth Mask ZA is also involved in a number of community upliftment projects. More information can be found on their website.
“The support for local businesses has never been more important than it is now,” said Tamaryn de Vries, a member of the Stellenbosch community who strongly encourages the support of local businesses. De Vries’s family members are also local business owners.
The support for local businesses has a knock-on effect on many families and communities as well, said De Vries.
If local businesses offer customers what they need, then deciding to purchase from them could mean that a family will have food on their table, said De Vries. According to De Vries, supporting local businesses could also be the difference between creating jobs within the communities or taking away from it.
Read more MatieMedia lockdown stories here.