Businesses Hope Holiday Season Will Help Make Up For Difficult Financial Year

The U.S. Small Business Administration reported the economy has improved from the spring, but industries hit hardest at the beginning of the pandemic continue to struggle the most.

That leaves businesses around Green Country trying to make up for losses this holiday season.

Businesses like Glacier Chocolate in Tulsa told News On 6 staff have been doing whatever it takes to keep doors open.

This Christmas, the business got a priceless gift from a familiar name.

From peanut butter cups to truffles, Glacier Chocolate has plenty to satisfy any sweet tooth, but business started to turn sour when the pandemic hit.

"We were at a point where we didn't even know if we could keep the doors open for three months to six months and luckily, we got a second round of PPP, we've gone to curbside, we've really looked at marketing and communicating our products," said Isaac Rocha, Glacier Chocolate co-owner.

Rocha said Glacier's Utica Square location is doing OK, but the downtown location is barely hanging on.

"Downtown doesn't have businesses coming in,” explained Rocha. “They don't have a lot of traffic."

Rocha said the business has been revamping its marketing, adding new products and being more active online.

All that has led to positive results, including a shoutout on Instagram from actress Jennifer Aniston.

"We weren't expecting that on Christmas Eve, so when we saw the tag, we all, as owners, we started texting each other and we were just so excited,” said Rocha. “We were tickled pink."

Aniston encouraged her 35 million Instagram followers to support small businesses, such as Glacier, which also put a spotlight on Tulsa.

"She definitely replied to one of our messages and gave us a wink back, so to even get a reply from her was so much fun," said Rocha.

Rocha said he hopes the shoutout leads to sweet success.

Rocha also said Glacier did well the last two months, which is always its busiest time, but the business worries about what will happen after the holiday rush.