Doing Your Part: Durango Joe’s

WELL. HELLO, I’M LAURIE SIGILLITO,OWNER OF DURANGO LOCAL NEWS. AND I AM HERE SPEAKING WITH JOE LLOYD, ABUSINESS OWNER, ENTREPRENEUR, AND WE’RE DOING THIS AS PART OF ADOINGYOUR PART DURANGO SERIES. WE WANT TO REACH OUT TO OUR BUSINESSESOWNERS AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO DO THEIR PART, TOKEEP DURANGO SAFE, BUT KEEP US OPERATING AT THE SAME TIME. SO JOELLOYD, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW, IS THE FOUNDER AND THE OWNEROF OUR BELOVED COFFEE SHOP AS AROUND TOWN CALLED DURANGO. JOE’S. SOJOE, YOU’RE OPEN. YOU’RE DOING YOUR PART. HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCEDANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS?

NOT EVEN CLOSE. I’M NOT EVENIMAGINABLE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. SO, WE HAD TO PIVOT PRETTY QUICK INA WAY THAT WE’VE NEVER HAD TO BEFORE IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR BUSINESSOPEN. AND WE HAD TO MAKE SOME FAST CHANGES TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE, TOKEEP OUR CUSTOMERS SAFE, TO KEEP OUR EMPLOYEES SAFE. AND WEIMPLEMENTED THOSE PRETTY EARLY ON. I MEAN, I SAW, I DIDN’T SEE THISCOMING, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE, WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. WE SENT OUTA VIDEO AND MADE SURE EVERYBODY KNEW WHAT TO DO AND, BUT IT’S BEENDIFFERENT. YEAH.

YEAH. I MEAN YOU REALLY HAVE, YOU HAVEEMPLOYEES, A LOT OF EMPLOYEES IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, ALL KINDS OFDIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENING. SO YOU, IT’S NOT JUST AS SIMPLE, LET MECALL UP A FEW OF MY EMPLOYEES AND GET SOME THINGS IN PLACE.

NOWWE HAVE 150 INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK FOR US, YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN THATARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 22. SO THEY’RE ALL OVER THE PLACE ANDA LOT OF THEM ARE, WERE IN SCHOOL. AND SO WE, WE ORGANICALLY KIND OFDEPLETED SOME OF OUR STAFF BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM WENT HOME. YOU KNOW,THEY WORKED FOR US AND THEY WERE COLLEGE STUDENTS. THEY WENT TO, THEYWENT HOME. AND SO, BUT WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP ABOUT HALF OF THEMBUSY RIGHT NOW.

THAT’S AWESOME. THAT’S AWESOME. SO WHY AREYOU CONSIDERED AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS? YOU’RE OPEN, SO YOU MUST BEESSENTIAL. AND ARE PEOPLE BUYING ANYTHING DIFFERENT? ARE THEY BEBEHAVIORS DIFFERENT THAT ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? YES.

I, I, YOUKNOW, I THINK 25 YEARS AGO, I DON’T THINK WE WOULD BE ESSENTIAL, BUTYOU KNOW, AMERICA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD HAD BEEN HOOKED ONCOFFEE. AND SO I THINK WE HAVE BECOME ESSENTIAL IN WAYS, YOU KNOW, TOHELP PEOPLE GET THEIR DAY OFF RIGHT AND MAKE SURE THEY’RE CAFFEINATEDAND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. SO I THINK BEING ESSENTIAL IS A, WAS A GOODTHING FOR US, ‘CAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP PEOPLE EMPLOYED. AND THATWAS SO IMPORTANT FOR ME ‘CAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE PEOPLE THATNEEDED IT THE MOST WERE GETTING MONEY. AND, SO . . .

WELLTHAT’S GREAT. WELL, ARE PEOPLE’S BEHAVIORS DIFFERENT THAN WHATTHEY’RE BUYING? ARE THEY JUST BUYING THEIR SAME OLD COFFEE WHENTHEY’RE COMING THROUGH?

YOU KNOW, THEY’RE, THEY’RE BUYING,THEY’RE, THEY’RE SAME OLD COFFEE. BUT YOU KNOW, LAURIE, WHAT’S BEENREALLY NEAT IS TO WATCH PEOPLE THAT MAYBE BEFORE WOULDN’T PUT $30 ONA GIFT CARD ARE DOING THAT A LOT AND THEY’RE, AND THEY’RE HANDINGTHEM OUT TO FRIENDS. AND SO AND SUPPORTIVE OUR BUSINESS LOCALBUSINESS. WE HAVE SOLD A LOT OF GIFT CARDS AND THAT HAS JUST REALLYBEEN AWESOME TO HELP US. YOU NEED WAY

WELL YOU HAVE ALWAYSBEEN SO AMAZING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND GIVING BACK. SO IT’S NICE TO SEEOUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTING YOU AS WELL. AND I ACTUALLY DID THAT, TOO.YOU’RE JUST DOWN THE STREET. I GOT TO WALK DOWN AND GET MY COFFEE. SOA CHEERS TO DURANGO JOE’S. LOVE YOUR COFFEE. BEFORE WE SIGN OFF, IJUST WANT TO KNOW, ARE THERE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM YOU’D GIVE TO OURVIEWERS, OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS IN THIS CRAZY TIME?

YEAH, YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT YOUKNOW, I THINK COMES TO MY MIND FIRST IS, IS WE REALLY HAD TO LOOKFORWARD TO HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. WE’VE HAD MULTIPLEMEETINGS ON ALREADY HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE, THE WAY WE’REGOING TO HAVE TO DO LIFE DIFFERENT, THE WAY WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DOOUR BUSINESS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO MEETINGSJUST LIKE YOU AND I ARE DOING DIFFERENTLY, YOU KNOW? AND SO WE’RETRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THAT. AND THE SECOND THING THAT WE’VE REALLYTRIED TO DO IS LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THIS THING IS GOING TO BE OKAY.WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT. AND, A LOT OF MY EMPLOYEES ARE VERY FEARFUL.THEY’VE, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE YOUNGER AND THEY’RE, THEY DON’T KNOW, THEYHAVEN’T BEEN THROUGH THINGS IN LIFE QUITE LIKE, IT WAS SORT OF EITHERWAY BUT TO THIS, TO THIS EXTENT, BUT JUST TO MAN, BRING, BRING THECOMPASSION, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW IT’S OKAY, WE’RE GOING TO GET THROUGHTHIS AND ALSO REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BEDIFFERENT AND START PLANNING RIGHT NOW WITH YOUR BUSINESS.

WELL,DON’T, DON’T GET CAUGHT ON THE BACK END OF THIS DOWN THE ROAD, RIGHT?DON’T, YEAH, I KNOW MYSELF. I TRY, I CANNOT LOOK BACKWARDS. I CANONLY KEEP LOOKING FORWARDS AND KEEP TRYING TO JUST TAKE ONE STEP, THENEXT STEP, AND ACTUALLY JUST SAY TO MYSELF, THIS IS HISTORY IN THEMAKING, AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M A PART OF IT, AND I WANT TO, YOU KNOW,I WANT TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW I’VE DEALT WITH IT AND COME THROUGHWITH IT. I, AND SOMETIMES IT’S EASIER SAID THAN DONE, BUT I’M, I’MRIGHT THERE WITH YOU.

YEAH. AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HASBEEN GOOD. I THINK A LOT OF BUSINESSES HAVE GOT UP THAT PPP LOAN.YUP. THAT IS, THAT’S A LIFESAVER, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. WE, IF WEDIDN’T GET THAT, I’M NOT SURE WE WOULD BE ABLE TO STAY OPEN THE WAYWE HAPPEN OVER THE YEARS. SO,

YEAH. WELL, JOE, STAY STRONG.STAY OUT THERE. THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PART FOR DURANGO.

ALLRIGHT. SUPPORT LOCAL.

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