For business across the US, the last two months have been a rocky ride. We know; we furloughed the majority of our staff for over a month as Indiana required all non-essential businesses to close. Now that shops are beginning to reopen we wanted to hear how other small businesses survived the pandemic and learn something from them. We got in touch with Tina at One Utopia and she shared the way her gift shop pivoted in the face of huge changes.
MudLOVE: How long have you been in business?
One Utopia: The company as a whole as been in business for 10 years but we landed our first brick and mortar about 5 years ago.
ML: What's the story behind your shop name?
OU: Utopia means the imagined place or state in where everything is perfect. One Utopia embodies a world where everyone is living their bliss.
ML: Love that! What kinds of items do you sell in your store?
OU: We are a collection of things all natural, holistic, fair trade, and give back. Over 50% of the items we carry give back to various organizations. We also have an oxygen bar in every location!
ML: What is One Utopia's mission in the community?
OU: We give back to the community through various food drives, scholarship donations, etc. With a lot of our products we believe that customers shop small, give big. We price our items at very affordable prices so anyone can feel comfortable shopping at our store. We want to cater to all!
ML: How have you pivoted your strategy in response to COVID-19?
OU: We sure have! We finally put everything online and ramped up our social media. I bought some books and read them quick!
We have a plant based drink trailer that has been on the back burner and quickly got moved to the front. We went from non-essential to essential just recently with that so we can bring our products out to the customers. Things may be changing permanently and we have to take it day by day. I feel that bringing back our mobile presence is going to be very important for us within the next year or so.
ML: What piece of advice would you give small business owners struggling today?
OU: Evolve. We are 10 years old and we've evolved with many financial struggles over the years from an oxygen bar event company, to including retail, gaining 2 locations, now a drink trailer and SUP yoga! You don't have to give up on your current plan but you may have to take a different route. You may find yourself discovering a little different passions and create the life you want! Trust the journey!
ML: That's super helpful! What's 1 thing everyone should know about One Utopia? (A fun fact, ways to support you, etc.)
OU: This is a female owned business with a lot of heart! Follow our journey on Instagram at OneUtopia_1u or on Facebook at OneUtopiaFlorida.
Thanks, Tina, for sharing your story with us! The next time you find yourself in Florida near Orlando, take a little drive to Winter Garden and check out One Utopia and stop by their drink trailer for us!
