Viera Holiday Shopping Awaits
Small-Business Owners Ready to Bounce Back
I know what you’re thinking…holiday shopping, already? This year has been a whirlwind. We have all learned to pivot and readjust our personal and business lives. We have new terms like social distancing and new necessities like face masks. School and work are underway in person, online, distant, and hybrid. We have been forced to become tech gurus.
While The Avenue Viera has weathered many storms in nearly 17 years, it was difficult to prepare for the impact of COVID-19. Traffic to the shopping center was obviously affected and management directed focus on keeping the community safe and figuring out ways to support merchants.
“As the center adjusted to COVID, we loved seeing how our merchants, despite their struggles, continued to give back to their community,” said Michelle Reyes, marketing coordinator at The Avenue Viera. “Pizza Gallery and Grill developed Hospitality Life Inc., which donated meals to unemployed food and beverage workers. Luxy Nails Spa made their own hand sanitizer and offered it free of charge to guests. Sport Clips of Viera partnered with Friends of the Children of Brevard for a back-to-school drive.”
COVID-19 has driven companies to reengineer with enhanced safety and cleanliness procedures. Though cleanliness is always a priority to places where the general public frequents, it is more crucial than ever to protect patrons, their families, and staff.
“The Club Pilates of Viera community has proven their loyalty to not only their fitness goals, but to our studio, as well,” shared Emily and Heath Rehkop, franchise owners of Club Pilates Viera. “We are so grateful for our members that have chosen to ride this very unexpected wave with us.”
Management of The Avenue Viera did whatever they could to support merchants — be it to allow curbside pick-up locations, signage in and around the property, printing and distributing “now open” signage and posters, creating restaurant BINGO, and even helping with extensions of outdoor dining spaces to accommodate the 50% capacity rules.
They pushed merchant messaging across their social channels (including adding promotions to encourage guests to shop and dine) and advertised strongly on both digital and traditional channels to let the community know the status of their tenants’ openings.
Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community and who are more invested in the community’s welfare and future. When you purchase at locally owned businesses, more money is kept in the community.
“Sport Clips at The Avenue Viera is very active in supporting youth sports and other community activities including the VFW,” shared Kathy and Troy Heron, Owners of Sports Clips Haircuts. “We will continue to do so as we recover from this pandemic.”
Even before COVID, the many small businesses at The Avenue Viera bring such a unique and varied offering to the center. Small businesses are deeply in tune with the heartbeat of this community — they are the first to give back and are some of the biggest champions of other local businesses, schools, and families.
Sadly, the pandemic has hit these businesses the hardest. If your child’s sports team or school was ever sponsored by a local business, or you ever saw a local business sponsor an event that your family enjoyed, those businesses need you now more than ever. As always, The Avenue Viera will be decorated to the nines for the holiday season and has a lineup of traditional holiday events such as $5 carriage rides and caroling in Central Park.
During the peak of the pandemic, The Avenue Viera planned events that brought traffic to the property in a safe way — OneBlood blood drives, multiple drive-up musical events, hands-free digital caricature artists in Central Park, and reimagined community events like Viera Voice’s Drive-Thru Senior Expo and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’s Drive-in Celebration.
“We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum into the holiday season,” Reyes said. “We have so much to look forward to and we’re hoping the spirit of the season will continue to heal our community and local businesses.”
Local businesses are the backbone of Brevard County. Local families work, live, and play here. As the world reopens, we are all looking forward to a more responsible, secure tomorrow. As you plan for the holidays, keep The Avenue Viera and all small businesses in Brevard in mind as you shop, dine, and enjoy time with family. Every day should be Shop Local day!
Learn more about the resident businesses and special events at The Avenue Viera:
Instagram: @theavenueviera
Facebook: /avenueview
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