Orange Avocado’s Parish: Stressing Kindness, Patience

Pepe Parish, co-owner of The Orange Avocado in Boardman, is coming back strong.

What are some ways your business is rebounding from the effects of COVID-19?

We know this is a tough time for all small businesses, and we are definitely no exception. After a month-long shutdown, we were so happy to be able to reopen and get right back to work supplying healthy juices, smoothies and foods to our community. It has taken a lot of reassuring customers that we’re taking proper precautions, along with a lot of social media updates to get the word out that we were open again. Thankfully, over the past few weeks, we’ve been seeing all of our friendly regulars coming back to us.

What’s been the reaction from customers so far?

Our customers have been overly thankful that we’ve reopened, and appreciative that we are prioritizing health and safety. We have always tried to listen to what our customers like to see from us, and they’ve been very vocal with positivity since we’ve been back. It really puts an emphasis on the word “community” and shows that we truly are all navigating this crazy time together.

What impact has the outbreak had on you personally?

Every small business is someone’s dream come true, and Orange Avocado certainly is for me. A lot of times, the risks of opening a business are so scary and it doesn’t always work out, so you can’t do it without passion. Making the decision to close our business that we pour our heart and soul into was terrifying and sad. I didn’t know if it would be two weeks, two months or forever. I am eternally grateful that we’ve been able to get back on our feet, and our customers are coming back to support us. I know that not all businesses have had such luck, so I definitely do not take it for granted.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love?

I’ve been stressing the importance of supporting small, local businesses. I’ve been stressing the importance of being kind and patient to our fellow humans who are serving us. We are all navigating these troubled times together along with us. And, I’ve been trying to help reassure my friends and family that everything is temporary. If we can get through this with our health, we’ll see many more happy days ahead.