Good morning, it’s Monday November 30th and this is The Herald Review’s newest podcast, the Daily Chirp. We’re excited to bring you a closer look at one of our top stories, events in the community, local history, sports, and more. Today, our focus is on small businesses in our community that have built an online presence after a pandemic presented challenges they never expected. 

But first, a quick message from our sponsor

Before we begin, some local history.

Did you know that Cochise County was created on February 1, 1881, when it was carved out of the eastern portion of Pima County? It takes its name from the legendary Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise and is the only county in Arizona named after an individual Native American.

Today’s history was brought to you by Benson Hospital. They’re doing more than treating illnesses in Benson, they're building a healthier community. Benson Hospital donated rescue inhalers to Cochise County Schools to help keep kids healthy and out of the ER. To learn more, visit our website at bensonhospital.org.

Now, today’s feature story:

Every holiday season shoppers and retailers gear up for savings and sales that commence traditionally on Black Friday.

As a sign of purchasing bravado, many shoppers have braved darkness, inclement weather and long lines to snag those Black Friday deals occurring on or near the stroke of midnight on Thanksgiving. Some still do.

But technology has thrown a curve at buyers and sellers. Black Friday really has turned into Thanksgiving Thursday and, of course, there’s today... Cyber Monday... where shoppers have been encouraged to look online for the best deals.

This year, however, a new twist has been added to the fray. Because of the pandemic, many of those online retailers… are now your local stores.

The term “shop local” has always been in vogue, especially since the advent of the internet. 

And this year has tested merchants worldwide, small and large they have been struggling with adapting to parameters, rules, closures and mandates just to remain viable.

PanTerra Boutique’s self-anointed Resident Geek Lisa Wines said, “From the beginning, we realized we had to go online if we were going to make it through the COVID thing. We had to shut down.” Wines said people from around the world are now discovering them.

The longtime Bisbee business had a fairly static website in place but a customer couldn’t make purchases through it so Wines said they created a shopping website using Shopify.

“Its actually been a good success,” she said. “We’ve weathered this because of that. Our customers love it because they can travel online and see us online.”

Store owner Maralyce Ferree added, “It’s been a learning experience and fun, but kind of crazy. But we got it up and running and 95% of the store is there now.”

In Sierra Vista, Emily Robles’ Sew Easy shop has been able to stay open most of this year. Along with everyone else, she said that 2020 has been hard. Sew Easy is a family business that has four locations in various towns across the United States and also offers sewing classes.

Robles said, “When the shutdowns happened, we were the only store left open. They said please reopen because people need to make masks and have fabric.

“We hope the upcoming holiday season goes well,” she said. “We hope a lot of people are going to want to gift sewing machines. We don’t know, we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”

And then there’s According to Lady L’s Creations. The owner, Lori Kilpatrick, said that “There hasn’t been a normal day since last February,”

Kilpatrick’s Tombstone business offers a souvenir service in which customers can wear 1800s type western clothes to be photographed in. Unfortunately, this uncommon product doesn’t lend well to online sales.

Kilpatrick is still wary that Governor Ducey may decide to shut down again.

She said that every business is taking precautions to keep the environment safe, they do extra things to make people feel comfortable, and as long as people feel safe, she thinks that they will come.

For more about how you can help support our local business community during this holiday shopping season and what they’re doing to give back to Cochise County, head over to MyHeraldReview.com

-

We also want to take a moment today to recognize an athlete in our community, brought to you by ApexNetwork Physical Therapy. Providing physical therapy to the community, ApexNetwork offers a wide range of services including Manual Therapy, Industrial Rehab, Dry Needling, Golf Rehab and more. To learn more, go to ApexNetworkPT.com.

Junior quarterback Brok Determan is one of the captains for the Bobcats. Brok has always felt at home on the football field. From well before the time he can remember, sports have been a huge part of his life. Brok’s mother said that even after he tore his ACL in a game his freshman year and needed surgery, he would still always be at practices and games to support his teammates from the sidelines. Now, he’s starting quarterback for the No. 1 Benson football team, under the watchful eye of his coach, role model, and dad Chris Determan. 

-

Finally - an upcoming event in the community that we’re excited about this week...

There’s something special happening in Sierra Vista’s mall. Space is being occupied by Theater on the Move, which plans to present “A Christmas Humbug” The “performance theater” is a former storefront at the mall, located across from the old Victoria’s Secret. Performances of “A Christmas Humbug” begin Friday, Dec. 4, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at the door.

-

Thanks for tuning in to the Herald Review podcast today, join us again on Tuesday! And remember, the Herald Review is here for you with local news you can trust. For more information on any of the stories you heard about today, visit us at myheraldreview.com. Right now you can become a member starting at just $1.99 per week.