INDIANAPOLIS — We know times are tough right now for small businesses.
You've seen RTV6's "We're Open Indy" campaign highlighting local businesses that continue to serve you during this pandemic. But that's not all we're doing to help out here at RTV6.
We've teamed up with the Indy Chamber for their "Buy Indy" campaign.
"I think that Hoosier are strong, hospitable, and helping people by nature and I think we are seeing that now more than ever so we want to continue that momentum," Josh Baker, owner of Hi-Fi, said.
Baker runs Hi-Fi Indy — a 400 capacity concert and special events venue nestled in the heart of Fountain Square.
"Obviously, everyone's affected — everyone in different ways," Baker said. "Ya know, the music and events industry is one that is pretty hard hit."
With the necessary efforts to flatten the curve, industries like entertainment are being hit hard by COVID-19.
"It impacts us two, three, four, months down the line, just because of the routing of the tours and all the other logistics that go into that," Baker said.
The Indianapolis region is home to just under 43,000 small businesses and those businesses employ more than 500,000 people.
"Buy Indy" is a huge push to support, engage, and promote our local small businesses.
"Our hope is that, number one, people stay healthy and they slow the spread of the disease. And then, second, they support their local businesses by buying Indy," Joe Pellman, Indy Chamber's communication director, said.
Pellman says that with RTV6 the campaign will work to push out the stories and messages of these businesses to consumers in our community.
What should you as a small business do?
Take out your phones and shoot a 30 second video. Submit it to buyindy.org and then we will share that on our social channels.
As for the consumers?
"Every dollar really helps because we have none coming in, so that goes straight to most of our staff, keeping our employees employed and our lights on and rent paid," Pellman said.
Our dollars, whether it be your stimulus check or not, can help our neighbors, like Hi-Fi Indy, stay afloat.
"So, I think its now even more important that if folks are going to, you know, give up their hard earned discretionary dollars that they think about where they are going to spend that money," Baker said.
If you own a business and would like a promo kit, or if you are someone looking to support local businesses, just head to buyindy.org.