The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down, with small businesses being hit especially hard. This is a pivotal time for SMBs, and the way they respond to the pressure will determine how their business runs for years to come. Many companies are taking this difficult situation and turning it into an opportunity. In our Positive Pivots series, we’re diving deeper into what these innovative businesses have done, and what lies beneath the surface to produce this kind of creativity and resilience.

This week we spoke with Mitch Cohen, Owner of Economy Candy, to learn about his company’s response to the pandemic and how an 80-year-old business has pivoted over the years as well as during the current pandemic.

What is Economy Candy?

Economy Candy began as a shoe and hat repair shop, which had a pushcart outside that sold candy. When the Depression hit in the ‘30s, the candy cart started bringing in more business than the shoe store. In 1937, the business transformed into Economy Candy. When my grandfather, Morris “Moishe” Cohen, and his brother-in-law returned from World War II, they took over the business and expanded into selling candy, chocolate, gift baskets, dried fruit, nuts, and more.

Where do you get your supply from, and was it impacted?

After being in business for almost 80 years, we have developed and maintained all of our direct relationships with confectioners, many of which are still run by the same families. That bond across generations helps us to stay in good standing with everyone, but we have all been struggling during this time. As such a long-lasting business, we have learned to pivot when necessary in order to survive and have worked with our suppliers to focus on our new products. We are still getting candy shipments in and out daily!

How did you change your business in response to COVID-19?

In response to the stay at home order, we realized in order to keep our normal in-person business running, we would have to turn to ecommerce.

Our new CandyCare Packs were created to help spread joy during this grim time and are for sale on our website. Candy has been a source of joy for our family for so long that we wanted to make sure it was available to others now. We are offering a few different packages: a Basic Pack (candy/chocolate), a Combo Pack (a little bit of everything) or a Movie Night Pack (because suddenly, every night is movie night!). For those with less of a sweet tooth, we have a Vintage Trading Card Pack and a Recess Pack which is filled with toys.

We've also been working to expand our B2B operations. Many corporations and schools (for Teacher Appreciation Week) have purchased coupon codes from us that they have then sent to their employees to purchase CandyCare Packs! This way employers are able to give the gift of CandyCare and employees can order at their leisure and pick their favorite pack.

Just like my parents and grandparents, we will always put the customer first and make sure Economy Candy has the most variety at the lowest prices.

How do you think the pivot you made in response to COVID-19 will have a long-term impact on your business?

We have gone through many pivots over the years, from a shoe and hat repair store to a penny candy shop to an ecommerce business. We have and will always focus on being open 7 days a week for our growing customer base as well as the influx of tourists who seek out the Lower East side for some good ol’ nostalgia — when this is all over of course. We will continue to expand our online presence on economycandy.com and create CandyCare Packs as long as there is a demand!