Here's how a couple of local small businesses have gone completely virtual

Here's how a couple of local small businesses have gone completely virtual “This is a really tough time, so I don’t want to downplay it, but I feel so lucky that we even have the

opportunity to sell what we are selling on Instagram,” owner Hanadi Hamzeh told Boston.com in a recent phone interview. “It makes me feel like at least the business is still moving, even if

ever so slowly.” Sales are down about 85 percent, she said, and the longer businesses have to stay closed to curb the spread of COVID-19, the more likely the future could involve some “tough

decisions.” However, Hamzeh said that while things are challenging in the short-term, she believes the business will survive. She said she’s considering loan and grant options available for

small businesses. Advertisement: To create the Instagram stories, one staff member goes into the store each day to take photos or videos of merchandise. Covet employs 21 people overall

between its two locations. “It gives them a little bit of a sense of purpose,” Hamzeh said. For customers, it’s a way to remain connected, to support the business, and to buy something that

they’ll wear or use when social distancing ends. “Most of our customers live in the neighborhood, and they’re just trying to support us,” Hamzeh said. “They’re still trying to help out a

little bit. I even had a couple of customers overpay us. It just warms my heart so much.” https://www.instagram.com/p/B-w5VnXAwum/ In Cambridge, Porter Square Books is working through dozens

of online orders, Ellen Jarrett, one of the shop’s owners and a buyer, told Boston.com. “Since we closed, we got this huge influx,” she said. “It’s averaging about 100 a day.” Two members

of the store staff are working from home while one owner goes to the shop each day to help fulfill orders from there; the business continues to have orders fulfilled from its warehouse, too.

The store is also providing home delivery to residents of Cambridge and Somerville. Plus, customers are staying informed through the store’s daily newsletter. Advertisement: “I think we’ve

figured for March, online orders should make us about even with last March,” Jarrett said. “But we’re definitely going to be down in April, no question.” The bookstore is also riding the

publicity wave of being named Publishers Weekly’s Bookstore of the Year. “We’re just trying to keep up,” Jarrett said. “It’s a good thing to have that problem.” The shop has about 25 full-

and part-time staff, and most everyone is working, from constructing newsletters to dropping off deliveries, to working through online orders remotely, she noted. The bookstore is also

working to elevate its social media presence. “If online orders stay where they are, we should be able to scrape through,” Jarrett said. <hr> Close Modal BOSTON.COM NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

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