Welcome to the month of May - “Small Business Month” here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! As we continue to move out of the shadow of the COVID pandemic now is the time to begin to stretch our wings and fly. As the number of people vaccinated continues to increase along with the warming weather, things are beginning to come alive once again.
Yes, while we do need to remain cognizant of wearing our masks and social distancing, we can still do our part to support ourselves and other local businesses. Remember, we are working to recover and there is no better way than to lend that helping hand. We can all play our own part in rebuilding.
So please encourage yourself, neighbors and friends to:
GET OUT! (Of Your House) - SHOP, EAT and BUY LOCAL!
To that end, we FINALLY “kicked” the ZOOM habit ourselves! After many, many months of meeting remotely, we were able to host our regular monthly Breakfast Club networking outside and in person! We recognize it is only the first of many steps but it was a big one for the Chamber and was enjoyed by all. Over 20 individuals gathered safely outside on the Common to enjoy some coffee, pastry and networking. Thank you to Laurie’s 9:09 for supplying the coffee and delicious pastry and thank you to all of you who took the time to join us.
Our next outside adventurous step is a multi-chamber comedy night in the tent at Giggles located at Prince Restaurant on Rt. 1 South in Saugus. We have three top comedians lined up including Frank Santorelli, who played “Georgie” on the Soprano’s. This fun night will take place on Thursday May 20th. Doors open at 5:30pm and the show begins promptly at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $30/person for the show which includes unlimited pizza and soda (cash bar). Seating is limited so do not delay! Please reach out to us here at the Chamber office for your spot (or table)!
Hopefully, you have taken advantage of the numerous and varied informational and training seminars that have been offered through our partnership with Score. These seminars are truly geared to assist and provide insightful training and education to small businesses throughout our area.
Just a reminder of the importance to many of our businesses and to all of us in the Town of Wakefield of changes to the by-laws enacted at the 2020 Wakefield Town meeting last Fall. These changes impact the use of foam polystyrene (Styrofoam) and certain plastic’s here in the town of Wakefield. The Chamber has been working with Town representatives to help prepare educational materials and documentation to help our local business become more aware of these changes and how to adapt to them. The intended purpose of these by-law changes is to reduce the environmental impact that these foam polystyrene and plastics have on our local area. Please make a note that these changes will take effect June 30, 2021.
We do our best to continue to provide to you as much COVID relief information as possible as we receive it from state and federal agencies and officials. We understand and appreciate that the constant stream of information regarding COVID and the SBA programs as well as the state relief programs can be overwhelming but the need for that information is real. Please keep your eye open for this continuous flow of important and vital information from the Chamber office.
Hope to see many of you again soon,
John
