Growing up, my favorite basketball player was Allen Iverson. He was a rough and tough point guard whose skills and grit I idolized.
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Growing up, my favorite basketball player was Allen Iverson. He was a rough and tough point guard whose skills and grit I idolized. He was known for two mantras, “Only the strong survive,” and “Hold your own.” I remember writing these quotes everywhere, in my AOL profiles and inside my high school class ring. I have said them to myself throughout my adolescent and adult years.
I’ve been reminded of these quotes throughout the pandemic, especially when I read somewhere you cannot expect to run your pre-COVID business in a post-COVID world. I am used to The Queen’s Cups having a large group of people surrounding our pastry case, chattering about what cupcake they were going to choose. Every Saturday was a whirlwind of hundreds of people visiting our store, crowded next to each other and sharing with us what brought them in. Now, it is hard to imagine what a Saturday may be like in our new normal.
I’ve had four months to sit with my thoughts and process the past three years in the Canal District. It seems to me every few years, we completely reinvent ourselves and so far, it has worked. But moving forward, I am nervous because I am changing pretty much everything. The Queen’s Cups that was will no longer be. We are going to open earlier, close earlier, close on Sundays, offer different items and have a large checkout area with a smaller dining area. I am going to be spending money I probably shouldn’t to adhere to new guidelines we must follow in a post-COVID world. All the while, I am unsure if these investments will pay off, if customers will buy into our new normal and if I will make the money back to pay down the renovation. These are significant changes I am making, while doing it on my own.
COVID-19 forced us to slow down. Admittedly, I have worked more than I have in a year during this because, like Allen Iverson said, only the strong survive. But during the moments of silence, the early mornings I would wake up and wonder what I would be facing that day, I came to a few realizations. I’ve made the money, I’ve had the sales, I’ve had 25 people on payroll; but all of those things I once thought would make me the happiest have not compared to the sense of relief, the sense of pride and the happiness I have felt since March.
I want to preface this by saying that I have lost $100,000 in sales this year. My sales are down 25%. I’ve had to let go of employees I adored. These things would instill anxiety in any person, and I have had plenty of bad days. I am not naïve to the fact this has been extremely difficult on my friends and other business owners. Speaking only from my own experience, when I think back on pre-COVID days, there was always something going on with scheduling, and making enough money, and trying to beat sales from the previous month and previous year. There was never time to relax or try new things because of the everyday hustle. My priorities weren’t wrong because that was what I was supposed to be focusing on. That is, until the world came to a stop – and my mind shifted. I’ve loved being able to work from home, having more of a control on our costs and knowing what to expect. I’ve realized the importance of slowing down, setting boundaries (still working on that) and learning a new facet of our business. Online ordering and shipping are two things I never thought I would implement, but I introduced both.
In our post-COVID world, it is not about the money, it is not about the sales. It’s not about hiring so many people I see them like ships in the night. It’s about holding our own and surviving. Surviving through the changes and the resistance to our new normal. It’s about continuing to grow and get better with online ordering and shipping. It is celebrating being at home, with our families. It’s about slowing down and appreciating the busy times rather than expecting them. The outcome of reinventing ourselves again is unknown but just like I have always done, I am going to keep the words of my favorite childhood athlete in my head and keep pushing forward.
Renee Diaz is the owner of The Queen's Cups bakery in Worcester.
