On hot summer days, Marsha-Kilby Coppola's Front St. shop almost feels like a busy tourism information center.
Pedestrians that really are looking to go someplace else gets automatically drawn in by the inviting wide-open doors; a way for the Thorold businesswoman to show her selection of fizzing bath bombs, cold press soap, cruelty-free face lotions, and more, ending in spontaneous shopping which has been fuelling the local business, that is on its third year.
But for almost the entire pandemic, the storefront has remained practically empty and sales have declined, as Kilby-Coppola starts wondering what the future will bring for her store, currently limited to mail order and curbside pickup.
"If we have to continue this way, only doing curbside pickup... I don't see it going on for very long. I don't want to be negative, because I'll just start crying. But someone needs to be here on Front Street and fighting for local business," she said in an interview with Thorold News.
Thanks to a strong following, she regularly sends off orders to loyal customers as far as Quebec and Alberta, and Da Bomb! also has been offering Niagara-wide delivery of their products.
It is working - for now.
But Kilby-Coppola doesn't want to leave the community of Front Street businesses, which all play a role in keeping customers going from spot to spot.
Nothing can compare to the pre-pandemic era of doing business, said Kilby-Coppola, recounting how she and other business owners fought for more parking enforcement on Front St, as parking spots were hard to come by and foot traffic could be significant.
"Looking back, that's a problem you wish you had. Instead, you just park, come here and look down an empty street. It is really weird."
The year didn't only bring troubles relating to the pandemic for Da Bomb, that during the makeover of Front Street was doing curbside pickup - but at times had no curb to put it on during the construction.
To keep her business in the mind of Thorold residents, she took help from local printers Impact Promotions to make her storefront more visible, reflecting the vibrant interior.
Social media has also been a valuable tool for Marsha Kilby-Coppola, who also sits on Thorold's BIA - the business improvement association.
But no matter how hard she and other small-scale local businesses work to keep the attention of consumers, fully open big-box stores continue to steal most of their business.
"That is where I get bitter. You can walk into Walmart, buy bath bombs and soap, but you can't walk into my store, even though we were significantly more thorough with our safety protocols and disinfecting. When we were allowed to reopen after the first lockdown, we grabbed buckets and put stuff in them for the consumer so it would be absolutely minimal touching."
The big hurdle to get over for small businesses, says Kilby-Coppola, are the consumer patterns that are cementing with buyers who now are accustomed to using the most convenient options - in reality Amazon and big box store shopping.
"And there is also a big fear over people on social media dropping bad reviews. Big companies, like for example McDonald's, can get your order wrong several times, and you still come back to them. But when people see a one-star review on Google, it can really be devastating. Many business owners seem to be seeing that people are more inclined to leave bad reviews these days."
No matter what happens in the future, Kilby-Coppola says it won't be easy doing something else other than running a business, which is a life she has adapted to, despite a busy family life on the side.
"I want to be in my kid's life, and going to a hockey match or performance is always going to be a thrill. I'm a businesswoman, but a mom first."
Da Bomb! is open Wednesday to Saturday 1-6 for Curb Side Pick-up Free local deliveries Thursday (some restrictions apply). For more information, and to order online, visit their website.
