Grimes' game

In the face of adversity, one local business owner's positive attitude and creative thinking led to a promotion she hopes will brighten her customers' day.

It's no mystery that small businesses are being affected by COVID-19 in a big way. On March 17 Governor Steve Bullock announced that emergency loans were made available to small businesses in Montana.

"We are monitoring the impacts of the novel coronavirus in real time – both from a public health perspective and an economic health perspective," Governor Bullock said. "Ensuring that small businesses in Montana have access to capital and resources that will allow them to weather temporary closures and bounce back from critical quarantine efforts is paramount to my administration."

Businesses are currently eligible to apply for up to $2 million in thirty-year loans with an interest rate of 3.75 percent.

On Saturday Montanans went under an order directing all residents to stay at home, except for essential travel and to perform essential jobs. That order shut down many businesses in the state, after an earlier directive had closed bars, theaters and other places where people congregate. Bullock said more than 21,000 people statewide had already filed for unemployment benefits as of last week.

Stompin' Grounds coffee house in Ekalaka has too felt the squeeze. The business has had its doors closed since March 16. Since that time, Stompin' Grounds co-owner Eva Grimes has been able to complete take-out orders. She also started using one of the building's windows for curbside delivery. Still though, business hasn't exactly been booming.

Instead of sticking her head in the sand, Grimes has maintained her usual, upbeat demeanor and is doing what she can to sustain her business.

Last week, she started a promotion at the shop for her customers.

"I really just wanted to do something positive in a negative situation," she told the Eagle.

The promotion, dubbed "Ekalaka-Opoly," is a sort of tribute to an iconic board game with a local flare. Each time a customer spends a minimum of $10 at her business, they receive a color coded card with the name of an Ekalaka street on it.

In all, there are 24 different streets and alleys that can be obtained. If a customer gets three streets of the same color, they can return them to the coffee shop to receive a discount or free product listed on the cards. For example, if a customer collects all three street cards that are colored green (Williams Street, Kalstrom Way, Kennedy Avenue) they can get a free sandwich by taking those cards to the Stompin' Grounds curbside window.

Showing some community-minded spirit and a bit of her goofy side, Grimes also added in "Community is EVERYTHING" cards, which signify instant wins, and three "Better luck next time" cards that are sure to make customers chuckle, but are not redeemable for anything other than a smile.

"It's hard not to get super overwhelmed and upset with everything going on around us right now," Grimes said. "I just thought this might be something to take people's minds off of things for a minute."

She's not wrong, and if a light-hearted promotion can make a customer smile, Grimes says that the work that went in was well worth it.

If one more item happens to sell at the coffee shop, that's just a small bonus. A bonus Grimes, like most small businesses owners, would certainly welcome amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.