“Local business really is essential for our economy,” says Tom Repczynski, Past Chair and current Board Member of the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. “Along with providing local jobs, these small to medium sized businesses bring growth to our community.”

If you have the financial means to do it, continue to pay your cleaning people, your lawn service, hair stylist, or dog walker. Repczynski says, “You want these businesses to still be around when life gets back to normal, so by continuing to use and pay for their services during this time, you are helping to keep them afloat.”

Most restaurants have worked hard to make it as easy as possible for you to pick up food with ‘no-contact.’ Many of your favorite restaurants also continue to offer curbside service. Food delivery services such as DoorDash and Grubhub will bring dinner to your door.

We tend to buy gift cards around the holidays but anytime would be a good time to purchase a few from your favorite local shops. “This is a great way to inject some cash into a small business right now,” says Repczynksi. 

Many local businesses were forced to move services and products online when the shutdown first occurred. A nice benefit to us as consumers is that many businesses have continued online. You can browse from the comfort of your home and have purchased items either mailed to you or you can pick up in the store. 

Give your favorite stores, restaurants and services a social media shoutout. Let your Facebook friends or your Twitter followers know when you’ve enjoyed a meal from a local restaurant or when you got a great deal using a dry-cleaning coupon. “We love when people send us their reviews to share on the Chamber’s Facebook page,” says Repczynksi, “Our members really appreciate when customers share about them on their social media pages. You are not only offering a review, but you can help a shop by posting their hours of operation too.”

The government has provided some financial relief and other initiatives for local business, but it only goes so far. Repczynski says, “Ultimately it’s going to be up to us, the local Lorton/Fairfax community to support these businesses.”