It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 virus first surfaced, rocking the globe. Businesses everywhere have each uniquely felt the hard blow of the unprecedented pandemic. As the vaccine rollout continues, cases decrease and lockdowns and public restrictions ease, the virus’s long-lasting effects—from employment shortages to low product sales—continue to crush some operations across the country, while boosting others.
In the Greater Fayetteville region, it seems a silver lining has shined across the appliance store sector the last 13 months. According to Bill Jenkins, president of Major Appliance Company, neither his staff count nor his customer demand has decreased.
“We’ve not had a shortage of employees,” he said. “We have (our) regular staff as far as personnel; we’re in good shape.”
In fact, Jenkins explained how both the season of home quarantining—when residents have been “putting their (current) appliances to use more”—along with the area’s rise in the housing market, have contributed to the ongoing success of his store’s performance. It’s no secret that buying a home often leads to a desire for new or additional appliances.
“We’ve seen an uptick in business since the pandemic started,” Jenkins said, “primarily because the cost of new housing is very strong and very strong in this area from new construction and new sales. We’ve also seen more people spending time at home so they’re updating their kitchen…as well as existing appliances.”
And Jenkins noted how the uptick in appliance sales and remodeling has been “across the board.”
But Jenkins isn’t too surprised by the public’s response to the pandemic when it comes to his store or the appliance craze in general. He praised his local operation’s thriving season, revealing how Major Appliance has always taken great pride in its service calls.  
“Our service has always been strong, but it’s been even stronger (lately),” he said.
While acquiring products to keep up with customer demand has at times been a challenge for the store during COVID-19, no major delays have occurred. Jenkins even touted his vendors’ punctual efforts.
“It has been a struggle getting new appliances over the last year but fortunately, we have a good relationship with our vendors to keep rolling right along,” he said.
Like Major Appliance, Lee’s Appliance Depot has kept its doors open since the virus started. While other small businesses have completely shuttered or suffered limited hours, Willie Lee’s store has witnessed little to no negative impacts to its sales. The facility’s owner offered positive remarks on his entrepreneurial experience during COVID—minus a staffing setback.  
“It’s been great for me,” Lee said. “I haven’t had any issues; the only thing I’ve got (trouble with is) finding people to work.”
According to Lee, it’s been decades since his store encountered the hardship of securing reliable workers. In fact, he’s stumped by the current predicament.
“(People) don’t want to work; seem like everybody got (a) reason not to,” he said. “I ain’t never seen anything like this since 1990.”
Overall throughout the pandemic, customers have flocked to Lee’s Appliance Store for their domestic needs—Lee giving credit to his quality products and seasoned savvy as a small business owner.
“I’m in high demand,” Lee said. “I have seen sales improve. In this business if you’re good, people are going to call you.”