Skip to content

Impacts of COVID-19 and Recent Protests and Social Unrest on Atlanta Businesses

Representatives of the National Main Street Center and commercial districts participating in the Atlanta Main Street Fellowship are seeking information from Atlanta small business owners about the challenges they’re facing as a result of the coronavirus public health emergency and recent events related to social injustice and police reforms. Please answer these questions as openly and honestly as you can.
 
Your feedback is important to us, and we would like to ask you to take 10-15 minutes to answer up to 34 questions and complete this online survey. Individual responses to the survey will be kept anonymous and confidential and are being gathered and analyzed by the National Main Street Center. 
 
Your answers will help us understand the challenges you are facing; communicate those challenges to policymakers, community development practitioners, and philanthropic entities; and identify potential solutions for supporting your business and a successful recovery from the recent crises.
 
We are running another survey concurrently for neighborhood residents and consumers. If you would like to fill out that survey as well as or instead of this small business owner survey, you can view the resident/consumer survey here - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/78N2R9M. If you would like to share these surveys with residents, consumers, or other business owners, please feel free to do so. 
 
This survey will be open for participation until Monday, August 17th at 5pm ET. Participation in the survey has been extended until Friday, August 28th at 5pm ET. 
BUSINESS CHARACTERISTICS
1.Where is your business located?(Required.)
2.What kind of business do you operate?(Required.)
3.How long has your business been in operation? (Required.)
4.How would you characterize the ownership of the business? (Check all that apply)(Required.)
5.Do you own or lease your business space? (Required.)
6.Which of the following best describes your business’s location?(Required.)
7.How many staff does your business employ? (Please enter ‘1’ if solo owner-operator)(Required.)
8.What type of internet access do you have at your business? (Choose all that apply)(Required.)
9.How would you describe the quality of internet access at your business?(Required.)
10.Does your business have an online sales component? (Required.)
11.If your business has an online sales component, approximately what portion of your overall revenue comes from online sales?(Required.)
12.Does your business offer any of the following services?(Required.)
13.Over the course of an average week, how many clients or customers did your business work with prior to the start of the COVID-19 crisis?(Required.)
14.How profitable was your business in the months prior to the crisis?(Required.)
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON YOUR BUSINESS
15.Which of the following statements best describes your business's current status? (Choose all that apply) (Required.)
16.It has been about 20 weeks since COVID-19 really began affecting the economy in early March. Of those 20 weeks, about how many weeks has your business been open and operating?(Required.)
17.What proportion of your employees, including yourself, are at risk of unemployment, reduced hours, and/or layoffs as a result of the novel coronavirus? (Required.)
18.How has revenue of your business changed since the novel coronavirus outbreak became a widespread concern in early March 2020?(Required.)
19.If business disruption continues at the current rate, how soon will your business be at risk of closing permanently?(Required.)
20.Did your business successfully apply for and receive any of the following federal relief dollars associated with COVID-19? (Select all that apply)(Required.)
21.How much support have you received from your business’s banking institution? (e.g., phone calls or letters offering support, support with loan applications, etc.)(Required.)
BUSINESS RESPONSES TO CHALLENGES BROUGHT BY THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
22.What changes related to personal protective equipment (PPE) have you made or considered making as you’ve adapted to the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent recovery?(Required.)
Have made this change
Cannot make this change or not interested
Have not made this change but interested in trying it
All staff are required to wear face masks while in the business
All staff are required to wear gloves while in the business
All customers are required to wear face masks while in the business
All customers are offered free single-use gloves upon entering the business
Plexiglass barriers separate staff and patrons at checkout
23.What changes related to posted information and social distancing have you made or considered making as you’ve adapted to the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent recovery?(Required.)
Have made this change
Cannot make this change or not interested
Have not made this change but interested in trying it
Posted notice outside on steps the business is taking to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus
Menus, store inventory, and/or advertisements available online and outside the store to limit time required browsing while inside
Demarcations on the ground show six-foot gaps in places where customers queue up
Strict limitations are set on the number of customers or diners in the space at the same time
More outdoor options for people visiting your business (e.g., sidewalk sales, outdoor dining, outdoor product pickup, etc.)
24.What changes related to touch-free operations and hand sanitizing have you made or considered making as you’ve adapted to the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent recovery?(Required.)
Have made this change
Cannot make this change or not interested
Have not made this change but interested in trying it
Offering touch free payment systems at checkout
Using touch free doors or open doors at entry and exit
Hand sanitizer station at the entrance to the business
25.What changes related to delivery services, curbside pickup, or business offerings have you made or considered making as you’ve adapted to the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent recovery?(Required.)
Have made this change
Cannot make this change or not interested
Have not made this change but interested in trying it
Delivery services for products / services
Curbside pickup for products / services
Shopping/ordering online with quick in-person pickup
Shopping/ordering over the phone with quick in-person pickup
26.What potential changes to business operations related to COVID-19 (including those listed above) are of greatest interest to you?(Required.)
27.What is holding you back from implementing these changes? (Select all that apply.)(Required.)
28.Thinking beyond the COVID-19 crisis, what would make your business resilient in the face of other challenges? How can your business model adapt to other crises?(Required.)
IMPACTS OF RECENT PROTESTS FOCUSED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AND POLICE REFORM
29.What impacts have recent protests focused on social justice and police reform had on your business? (Choose all that apply)(Required.)
30.If your business experienced property damage due to protests and civil unrest, what repairs do you expect you will make immediately or have you already made?
31.If your business experienced property damage due to protests and civil unrest, what repairs do you expect you will make in the next three to six months?
32.If your business experienced property damage due to protests and civil unrest, what repairs do you expect you will make in the next six to 18 months?
33.How has your business responded to recent social injustices and calls for police reform? (e.g., business messaging, social media, engagement with protesters, different engagement with customers, etc.)(Required.)
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS CONTEXT AND CONTACT INFORMATION
34.What is the name of your business? (optional)
35.What is your preferred method of contact and contact information (please provide phone number, email address, facebook name, etc.) (optional)
Current Progress,
0 of 35 answered