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.