NEW ORLEANS — Mark Rosenbaum owns RoseTree Glass Studio and Gallery. He is one of many businesses owners who took two punches while maintaining his shop in Algiers Point.
The first was the lack of a ferry, which would have brought tourists to the area, and now the harder punch is the pandemic.
"When you take away 10 months of income, it's really hard to sustain a business, "he said.
Rosenbaum had to pivot his business online to make ends meet. He was hopeful Small Business Saturday would have helped his business too.
"We had three people walk in from the neighborhood, and years before we would have a lot of people, I wasn't expecting a lot, but I was expecting more," Rosenbaum stated.
Other business owners felt the double hit of the lack of ferry and pandemic.
The owner of Beatrix Bell Handcrafted Jewelry said because of the two hits, her store is only open one day a week.
While some are rarely opened, surprisingly some business started up during the pandemic.
Plume Algiers, an Indian-themed restaurant, opened late July, early August.
The chef is appreciative of the support from neighbors in the community, but hopes people continue to support other businesses, especially on Small Business Saturday.
"I hope that mindfulness will continue, "Justin Ferguson Plume Algiers sous chef said.