Pelham community helps local businesses stay afloat amid the pandemic

The Pelham community came together to help small business owners make ends meet amid the coronavirus pandemic.

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2020, 10:00 PM

Updated 1,594 days ago

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The Pelham community came together to help small business owners make ends meet amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Business owner Patty Lambrou, of Pelham, says she poured her life savings into her bakery Patty Pops in December. However, when the state was put on pause a few months later due to the pandemic, she feared it could have been the end her entrepreneurial dream.
"I felt extremely unlucky and I felt my timing was bad," says Lambrou. "I never thought I would say, 'I have to go back to accounting.'"
The struggle of small Pelham businesses like Lambrou’s inspired local businessman Todd Cross to make it his mission to offer a lifeline to all the shops and businesses in town. He came up with the website called the Pelhman List to let residents know what local shops were in need of support and how they can help.
"We felt it was important to support the small business in town at a time when desperately needed it," says Cross. "That was the original idea. Just create a very simple list, what are the businesses in Pelham how can we support them."
It turned out that residents were eager to help their local businesses -- the site gained over 17,000 hits.
"If we in this community don't support these local businesses at this critical time, they won't be here in two months, three months, maybe a year," says Cross.

Co-president of the Chamber of Commerce Amy Cole says the slogan ‘In This Together’ has been a rallying call for her community.

"Let's make sure we shop local. Let's make sure we eat local. Let's support these eateries that took huge risks to open," says Cole.

The massive support and generosity from the community is what helped small business owners like Lambrou able to stay in the game.

"I can't believe how much support has been shown to me. I didn't expect it at all," says Lambrou.
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