‘Essential’

Essential – a keyword for all of us this last month. It is the difference between your business being able to remain functioning daily or shutting down. It is the difference between leaving your home these days or not. The very definition of essential is “absolutely necessary; extremely important.”

And yet what is essential varies from one business, household or individual. In this time of Covid19, essential is being defined as the items and services needed to sustain our populace.

While most of us are willing to honor the “Safer at Home” order, we are given the opportunity to define our essential needs, relationships and understanding of what is vital and important. We are not being asked to not socialize or connect; we are all able to do so via our devices and apps. As a society, we have been staying connected via social networking – not using it just as a pastime, but as a way of life.

However, we are being asked to physically distance ourselves from each other. That is a jolt to our individual systems, let alone a jolt to our community and business systems – a jolt that has taken some time for each of us to understand, and then learn what we can do or how we can keep our community and businesses thriving during this time.

And our Montrose community is finding its way. Businesses that are essential are offering take-out or delivery service. Other businesses are providing products via online sales. Social marketing and networking is still taking place and is vital, active in ways that some of us have not stepped toward until now. The virus is providing each of us the opportunity to redefine how to provide our services and products, how to provide friendship and family connections, and what we can do so to get through this challenging time.

The MVCC is doing so as well. Our social media has been busy each day supporting those businesses that are still providing services and/or products. You can find “Open Businesses” on our website banner: https://www.montrosechamber.org/ and a tab on the site dedicated to Covid-19 information and updates.

The office remains “virtually” active, participating in the county tele-briefings and speaking with the leaders of our district to keep up-to-date on all vital information.

We were disappointed to not have the Montrose Craft Beer Fest this last Sunday … not essential under these circumstances. But one of the messages we received in the office from a staple of the community, Joe Kroening of Andy’s Transfer & Storage, was essential with a capital “E” to our spirits:

“Here we all are on Beer Fest Day. A nice balmy day. Rain is on delay so we have nice beer drinking weather. Then we got this bummer – coronavirus.

So no big gathering in Montrose, no visiting with friends, no cheerful waves and smiles, no tasting delicious craft brews with snacks from our Honolulu restaurants.

“So, as I sit on my patio with a plain old Budweiser, I think of you, the effort and hard work you and others did preparing for Beer Fest. I raise my Bud in a salute to you all and wish you all the very best!”

We wish our entire community health and safety. We are grateful to serve an essential community.

Victoria Marie Malone~Executive Director

YOUR Montrose~Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce

3436 N. Verdugo Road,

Suite 100, Glendale, CA 91208

(818) 249-7171

  Victoria Marie Malone