Some small businesses are flourishing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Photo: iStock / Getty Images Plus. Article by Nina Roberts.

Nearly all businesses in the U.S. have been touched, and in some cases, decimated, by COVID-19. The airline industry says it will be bankrupt without a federal bailout; restaurants, salons and retailers — chains and individually-owned — are hemorrhaging, leaving countless hourly workers unemployed.

But surprisingly, some companies have seen soaring growth due to COVID-19.

The publicly traded video conferencing platform Zoom, now part of the country’s collective lexicon, has seen its stock rise, as have delivery services as most Americans try to “shelter in place.” Large companies like pet supplier Chewy, meal kit company Blue Apron, as well as smaller businesses and startups have been blindsided by surging sales over the past several weeks as COVID-19 and increased containment restrictions turned worlds upside down. […]

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