Author: DIANE MON

HOST INTRO: While many businesses are suffering during the Corona Virus pandemic, some small businesses are actually seeing an increase in new and returning customers. This has been the case for natural juice company, Griffy’s Organics, who have seen a surge in demand as they find themselves uniquely suited for this crisis. Here is Diane Mon with the story.

 

AMBI: (kitchen blender on)

 

TRACK: I am here today with Avry Griffin, Co-founder and CEO of Griffy’s Organics. We are in his kitchen in Long Branch, New Jersey making green juice with kale and celery. He says the pandemic has made people more conscious of their health.

 

ACT: It actually has been very beneficial to us because when you think about the health and wellness landscape, you have more of an educated consumer now with people having a concern for their immunity, and our juices provide an immunity boost, seeing how they are all natural and raw. Everyone is looking to stay healthy, build their immune system, live a better lifestyle, and an educated consumer means they’re willing to do their research on a quality product.

 

TRACK: The stated aim of Griffy’s Organics has been to keep its customers healthy by helping them build and maintain strong immune systems with their nutrient dense juices. The sizable increase in demand for their products validates the effectiveness of this approach. An integral part of their customer service experience has been to strictly adhere to all the recommended COVID-19 social interaction protocols.

 

ACT: We do take precautions where we do wear a mask when delivering. I also make sure that we social distance when we are delivering. Some people prefer us to leave it at the door. Some people want to actually speak to us, and see us face to face. I think it’s just important to have common courtesy and respect towards everyone, whether they believe in the crisis or not, or whether they are abiding by the rules or not, I think it just shows a sign of respect.

 

TRACK: Wellness trends aren’t the only reason Griffy’s Organics is in the right place at the right time. The social winds appear to be blowing in his direction as well.

 

ACT: Raw, fresh pressed juice is a growing industry. I think Corona Virus definitely helped us in a sense, as well as being a black owned business, with everything with the BLM movement going on. People wanna support black owned businesses, especially local small businesses and things of that nature.

 

TRACK: He has high hopes that this success will continue as people adjust to what he calls a new normal.

 

ACT: Because our customer base is old people, it’s young people, it’s people who have been in the health and wellness space who work out every single day, and it’s people who don’t take care of themselves and who are looking for just something to implement into their day to get them on a positive track. So, I feel like regardless, Griffy’s would thrive.

 

TRACK: Moving forward, Griffy’s Organics will have their B2B model as well as a retail store where people can become members. For Baruch College, this is Diane Mon.

Quarantine for many of us was a time to learn a new skill, catch up on work and those other things we did not feel we had enough time to do, exercise, get more sleep, etc. But for some, they faced new challenges being alone and indoors, unable to see friends or family. For this assignment, I would like to  speak on the topic of mental health and interview a friend of mine who has suffered from episodes of depression all of her life. I want to know how she copes with her depressive states and how corona virus, the BLM movement, and not working has affected it. I also want to know how she takes care of her mental and physical health, especially on those days where she is feeling down and has no motivation to do anything. I’d ask her what tips she’d like to share with those going through similar situations, as well as the type of help she has received, if any. I also would like to ask about how working out has helped her become more happy, as well as how she plans to move forward and continue to take care of herself so that she doesn’t fall back into her depression.

https://dmon0618.exposure.co/the-struggle-small-businesses-are-facing-amidst-covidnbsp?source=share-dmon0618

For my photojournalism assignment, I want to explore the impact COVID-19 has on local retail shops. As NYC works towards envisioning a new “normal”, businesses are facing new challenges. Many local businesses have been affected, some even going out of business. I want to examine how those that are still open, or reopening, are coping with the new social distancing restrictions and regulations.

For this assignment I will be focusing specifically on a local neighborhood shoe store in Brooklyn called Windsor Shoes. I will focus on how they are dealing with the competition from e-commerce moguls like Amazon, as well as those who do not feel safe enough to shop inside the store, but still wish to support their business. I also want to figure out what the business envisions their future looking like, as well as how their employees are coping with everything going on.

I plan on taking pictures of the customers coming in with their masks on, how employees handle and take care of the employees with the new guidelines, I also want to try to capture the mood and feelings of the employees during these difficult times.