The "Real Cost" of COVID-16 was caused by shutdowns

[dan_s]

The Houston Business Journal has published a special report that highlights 247 small-business owners. Each story is HEART BREAKING. They are stories of real people who have watched years of hard work go down the drain. This is a tiny sample of the despair, poverty and death that has been created by the shutdowns. I fear the "Despair Deaths" will dwarf the number of people who have died from the virus. We need a much better plan when the next virus arrives.
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Anxiety, uncertainty and fear washed over many Houstonians in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it’s a feeling that hasn’t gone away.

Small-business owners in particular have felt the brunt of the pandemic — not just economically, but emotionally. In Houston, small and medium-sized businesses make up a sizable chunk of the economy. As part of a larger effort with our parent company, American City Business Journals, we’ve chosen to highlight a few of Houston’s small-business owners who have been impacted by the pandemic.

To keep a Houstonian locked down takes a lot. We like to eat; we like to shop; we like to be seen. It’s those businesses that cater to our social side that have been hit the hardest. That’s why we chose to profile the business owners within these pages.

You’ll read about one of Houston’s renowned chefs; the owner of a unique service in which consumers can take a nap; the owner of a coffee company; a theater that had just renovated and was ready to open before it had to go dark; and a bakery that has seen its share of natural disasters. All of them remembered the exact moment when they realized nothing was going to be the same.

While our businesses are special, their situations were unfortunately not unique. You can read about business owners all across America and how they were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic at SmallBusinessBigMission.bizjournals.com. You’ll get the full scope and scale of 247 small-business owners and their stories featured in full.

This won’t be the last you hear from these folks. As we go through this pandemic day by day, we’ll follow them and other business owners and bring you their stories.

While we live in uncertain times, one thing’s for certain. The resiliency of a small-business owner is unmatched.

This story is part of a national series from the Business Journals’ 44 newsrooms across the country.