BLAKELY, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) Local businesses are getting creative during this COVID-19 pandemic to support each other online.
“With the shut down, we’re trying to adapt to this like everyone else. Today is the first day of spring so we’re just trying to spring into action to come up with some ideas to help the businesses that support us,” Ron Augelli, owner of wetalkshirty.com told Eyewitness News.
On Thursday, Gov. Tom Wolf made an announcement to only keep open businesses that are essential to life due to COVID-19. This has forced many local businesses to close their physical store fronts. So, We Talk Shirty wanted to help by creating online stores for other local businesses in the area to sell custom merchandise to give those businesses a new revenue stream.
“These free web stores have zero risk and we’re offering them an opportunity to make some funds while this whole thing passes. It’s a 30 day store and our goal is to sell 50 t-shirts for them. The profit is really profitable for the businesses signing up for this. And it’s open to anyone who owns a business,” Augelli continued.
Since they can’t report to the office as usual, all of this work will be done right from home.
“The employees are working web-based from home, we have our net operations system, we have our CRM’s in place, we have everything for them to work through portals at home to be able to create the web stores and making sure everything is going correctly as far as shipment from wholesalers and inside our network,” Augelli said.
Augelli has words of advice for those struggling during this time.
“Stay as calm as you can. I know it’s a scary time right now. Just stay as strong as you can. We’re stronger together,” he concluded.
Augelli also re-assures customers that even during this time, their shipments will still arrive on time.
If you’re interested in your own web store, visit wetalkshirty.com
