Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2020 small businesses around the country that worked their way from the bottom have suffered. Many to the point of closure. While official numbers cannot be calculated until the effects from the pandemic lessen, one study says 800 small businesses are closing a day. (Puckett, 2020) During March, 42 states and territories issued a mandatory stay-at-home order from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks began becoming mandatory, indoor dining and activities were prohibited, and multiple stores had to shut down until further notice. For large named brands in the fast fashion industry, with functioning and usable online websites, the order was just a mere setback. High schoolers Aubrey Maher and Jordyn O’Brien admit, “During COVID and quarantining, we shopped more.  We had more free time to shop online and find new things.”. Common online stores the girls bought from were stores also found in their local mall. Aubrey Maher and Jordyn O’Brien also commented that they would often online shop one to two times every week. While large corporations and companies can handle the financial impact of a decrease in profit, smaller and more locally owned businesses would have difficulty surviving the hit. 

      Shopping small businesses is also a benefit for the environment. After the oil industry, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world. Fast fashion is harmful to clean water and a lot of greenhouse gases are generated from production, manufacturing, and transportation of the millions of garments. (The Economist, 2017) Small businesses are often more sustainable and healthy for the environment.

       Small businesses need local support now more than ever. Think before shopping fast fashion at the local shopping mall instead, shop small.