by Sophia Misle, photos by Steven Hertzog
This holiday season, local Lawrence businesses are hoping for a comeback after a difficult year during the COVID19 pandemic. #ShopLocalLawrence
We all love a good comeback story, right? There is a part of us that wants to root for the underdog, whether it was for the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series for the first time in 108 years in 2016 (still, go Royals!) or the Karate Kid to defeat his bullies. Now, it’s time for a new comeback story, that of local Lawrence businesses this holiday season. During the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses in Lawrence suffered or closed because of the impact 16
of shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, loss of revenue, supply-chain issues, availability of government aid and more. However, the pandemic also opened some doors of opportunity. Sally Zogry, executive director, Downtown Lawrence Inc., says at least 21 new businesses have opened downtown since January 2020. “It’s been really, really trying obviously over the last year and a half, and things are not back to normal yet,” Zogry says. “They are better, which is very encouraging, but we still have a lot of challenges.”
