This Black Coffee Retailer Saw A 350% Spike in Sales After Being Forced to Close Its Doors

It is difficult to start a business but it is arguably even harder to maintain an existing business. With the arrival of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic, small business owners have had to face even more hurdles to keep their doors open with mandatory stay-at-home orders in effect in addition to massive job losses. For one coffee retailer, the pandemic has brought the opposite effect and increased sales tremendously.

Keba Konte, the founder and CEO of Red Bay Coffee, is no stranger to business challenges. He opened his coffee shop as a way to combine his love for photojournalism to be displayed. When COVID-19 came to San Francisco, the news of the shop’s temporary shutdown brought a huge drop in sales. Forbes reported that the coffee retailer has seen an 85% decline in overall sales forcing Konte to drastically reduce his workforce.

As of right now, the coffee retailer has reopened some of its retail locations with a 40% decline in customer traffic. However, their flagship location in Oakland has seen a huge spike in sales since its reopening with an astonishing 350% increase in e-commerce sales due to stay-at-home restrictions forcing loyal customers to stay indoors.

“Then there’s another group who were drinking our coffee at our cafés, and we had to close most of them. They too have turned to having their coffee beans shipped,” Konte told Forbes. “We did 250 events last year, all have been forced to close because of social distancing rules due to the pandemic crisis,” Konte said.

Due to the new restrictions brought on by the public health crisis, Konte has begun work on a mobile van for customers to order and stay connected to the brand. “It’s been a lifeline and great brand exposure, we sold it through six-foot distances and cashless transactions on the van,” Konte said. The mobile van sells the brand’s coffee, tea, and oat milk cartons.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/36grDwJ

This Black Coffee Retailer Saw A 350% Spike in Sales After Being Forced to Close Its Doors

It is difficult to start a business but it is arguably even harder to maintain an existing business. With the arrival of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic, small business owners have had to face even more hurdles to keep their doors open with mandatory stay-at-home orders in effect in addition to massive job losses. For one coffee retailer, the pandemic has brought the opposite effect and increased sales tremendously.

Keba Konte, the founder and CEO of Red Bay Coffee, is no stranger to business challenges. He opened his coffee shop as a way to combine his love for photojournalism to be displayed. When COVID-19 came to San Francisco, the news of the shop’s temporary shutdown brought a huge drop in sales. Forbes reported that the coffee retailer has seen an 85% decline in overall sales forcing Konte to drastically reduce his workforce.

As of right now, the coffee retailer has reopened some of its retail locations with a 40% decline in customer traffic. However, their flagship location in Oakland has seen a huge spike in sales since its reopening with an astonishing 350% increase in e-commerce sales due to stay-at-home restrictions forcing loyal customers to stay indoors.

“Then there’s another group who were drinking our coffee at our cafés, and we had to close most of them. They too have turned to having their coffee beans shipped,” Konte told Forbes. “We did 250 events last year, all have been forced to close because of social distancing rules due to the pandemic crisis,” Konte said.

Due to the new restrictions brought on by the public health crisis, Konte has begun work on a mobile van for customers to order and stay connected to the brand. “It’s been a lifeline and great brand exposure, we sold it through six-foot distances and cashless transactions on the van,” Konte said. The mobile van sells the brand’s coffee, tea, and oat milk cartons.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/36grDwJ

‘Trump Death Clock’ In Times Square Grim Reminder Of Preventable Coronavirus Deaths

A digital billboard in Times Square showing the number of deaths related to President Donald Trump’s slow coronavirus response, reached a grave milestone on Wednesday, as it ticked over to an estimated 50,000 preventable deaths.

According to Yahoo Finance, the “Trump Death Clock” projects the number of deaths that could have been prevented had social distancing measures been implemented earlier.

Eugene Jarecki, the sign’s creator, said the counter was created with the same “symbolic spirit” as the National Debt Clock, which already hangs in New York City. The Death Clock measures “the cost in human lives of President Trump and his team’s reckless handling of the coronavirus pandemic,” Jarecki told Yahoo.

Science and health experts began warning the Trump Administration of the coronavirus pandemic in January. The warnings fell on deaf ears, however, as Trump called the coronavirus a Democratic hoax.

Trump continued to downplay the coronavirus at the end of February, and even into March he compared it to “the common flu.”

As U.S. coronavirus deaths reached 85,00 Wednesday, the death clock showed more than 57,000 deaths could’ve been prevented. Jarecki said instead of saving lives, the president played politics and the counter reflects that.

“Reports show that as early as January, the president was advised by both his own experts and the intelligence services of the need for urgent measures against the spread of the virus,” Jarecki wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. “Instead, he engaged in pretty political feuds and pollyannish predictions minimizing its significance. Finally, on March 16, he reversed his previously dismissive stance and announced ‘new guidelines for every American to follow.'”

By March 16, the U.S. was leading the world in the infection rate, major sports had been cancelled for almost a week and the stock market was falling fast.

Jarecki told Yahoo, he hopes “the lives already unnecessarily lost demand we seek more responsible crisis leadership.

“Just as the names of fallen soldiers are etched on memorials to remind us of the cost of war, quantifying the lives lost to the president’s delayed coronavirus response would serve a vital public function,” he added.

In addition to almost 100,000 deaths, the coronavirus pandemic has killed ten years of job growth in one month and put many minorities and low-income Americans at risk of losing their lives.

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Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Says Reopening State Would Treat Black and Brown People Like Guinea Pigs

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus has sent a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam saying the move to reopen Virginia would be treating black and brown people like “guinea pigs for our economy.”

According to NewsOne, Virginia is slowly reopening the state with the first phase occurring on Friday. However, the black caucus believes the state doesn’t have the necessary testing capacity and infrastructure to safely reopen without putting minorities at an unfair risk.

“Throughout our country’s history, Black and Brown people have been experimented on and used as unwilling test subjects before — we cannot allow that to be repeated here,” the letter states.

In many states across the country including Virginia, African Americans and minorities are dying at a faster rate than white Americans.

Minorities are at a higher risk of being infected and dying of coronavirus due to low-wage jobs that don’t allow them to telecommute. Additionally, low-wage workers have to interact with strangers as part of their job.

Northam said his decision to open the state is based on positive trends in key metrics related to the virus’ spread, like testing capacity and hospital readiness. At a press conference on Wednesday, Northam downplayed the state’s reopening saying, “Phase one represents a small step forward.”

After two weeks of debate by state lawmakers, Northam’s plan will reopen retail businesses with limited capacity. Barbershops and hair salons will be by appointment only and both customers and employees have to wear face masks. Restaurants will continue to allow delivery orders and bowling alleys, theme parks, gyms, and beaches in the state will remain closed.

Northam’s spokesperson, Alena Yarmosky, told reporters the governor is “absolutely committed to moving forward in a gradual manner that protects all Virginians, particularly low-income individuals, essential workers, and communities of color.”

However, Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has asked Northam to create a task force to track racial disparities in coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Some African American business owners have decided to stay closed, even as their states begin to open. Rapper Killer Mike, who owns several barbershops in Atlanta, said in April that even though Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Atlanta businesses could reopen, he would keep his shops closed.

“As a citizen in the community where people look like me, I’m choosing to stay closed because I don’t want to endanger [anybody],” he said in April. “And a lot of times, politicians have different views of things. I think governors and mayors should all get on the phone together because as your constituents, we need you to do that.”

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‘Trump Death Clock’ In Times Square Grim Reminder Of Preventable Coronavirus Deaths

A digital billboard in Times Square showing the number of deaths related to President Donald Trump’s slow coronavirus response, reached a grave milestone on Wednesday, as it ticked over to an estimated 50,000 preventable deaths.

According to Yahoo Finance, the “Trump Death Clock” projects the number of deaths that could have been prevented had social distancing measures been implemented earlier.

Eugene Jarecki, the sign’s creator, said the counter was created with the same “symbolic spirit” as the National Debt Clock, which already hangs in New York City. The Death Clock measures “the cost in human lives of President Trump and his team’s reckless handling of the coronavirus pandemic,” Jarecki told Yahoo.

Science and health experts began warning the Trump Administration of the coronavirus pandemic in January. The warnings fell on deaf ears, however, as Trump called the coronavirus a Democratic hoax.

Trump continued to downplay the coronavirus at the end of February, and even into March he compared it to “the common flu.”

As U.S. coronavirus deaths reached 85,00 Wednesday, the death clock showed more than 57,000 deaths could’ve been prevented. Jarecki said instead of saving lives, the president played politics and the counter reflects that.

“Reports show that as early as January, the president was advised by both his own experts and the intelligence services of the need for urgent measures against the spread of the virus,” Jarecki wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. “Instead, he engaged in pretty political feuds and pollyannish predictions minimizing its significance. Finally, on March 16, he reversed his previously dismissive stance and announced ‘new guidelines for every American to follow.'”

By March 16, the U.S. was leading the world in the infection rate, major sports had been cancelled for almost a week and the stock market was falling fast.

Jarecki told Yahoo, he hopes “the lives already unnecessarily lost demand we seek more responsible crisis leadership.

“Just as the names of fallen soldiers are etched on memorials to remind us of the cost of war, quantifying the lives lost to the president’s delayed coronavirus response would serve a vital public function,” he added.

In addition to almost 100,000 deaths, the coronavirus pandemic has killed ten years of job growth in one month and put many minorities and low-income Americans at risk of losing their lives.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2X0oa0V