Small Business

In 2022, over two-thirds of Greenbar Distillery's sales were in the non-alcoholic market. For owners Litty Mathew and Melkon Khosrovian, that means that non-alcoholic drinks are going to be part of their future.

Growing the business "has stretched me and changed me in all the good ways, and also in all the really hard ways," says photographer Liz Hansen.

"It's fun but it's difficult to know how much to make when everyone comes in on the same day," said Kristin Thalheimer Bingham, co-owner of Dean's Sweets in Portland, Maine.

“It has become so easy,” said Samad Abdulai, owner of C3 Laundry Services.

Like other retail businesspeople, Amelia Freeman-Lynde of Durham, North Carolina, has grappled with supply chain and staffing issues.

"We have all these extra fees that we really didn't have before," says events specialist Irene Tynedale. But prices will still fluctuate.

Supply chain hangups and labor shortages have frustrated small businesses. But for a custom frame shop in Detroit, optimism is high for 2023.

"We've had a huge increase in co-working memberships and demand for that, as well as meeting room rentals," said Audrey Hoyt, co-owner of The Pioneer Collective.

Inventory loss “could have been a lot worse,” said Johanna Dominguez of Put a Plant on It. But merchants suffered as shoppers stayed home.

The owner of a North Carolina toy shop talks about the state of her business after the holiday retail season.