SUAMICO, Wis. — After retail faced a rocky road in 2020, one Green Bay-area boutique says it has an upbeat outlook for business in the new year.

Mainstream Boutique moved to a new location in Suamico, a little north of Green Bay, late last year. It’s a move manager Tiffany Roman says has been good for business.

“We are definitely in a much better location and have seen a lot of first-time customers, and a lot of returning customers,” she said. “It’s been really good for us.”

That assessment comes at a critical juncture for many small businesses across the state as the lingering impact of the pandemic continues to be felt — from the supply chain to walk-in retail traffic.

“The biggest thing they need now is the same thing they needed nine months ago: access to capital for liquidity’s sake; and two, access to customers,” said Jeff Sachse, a researcher with the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh who has been focused on the impact of the pandemic on the state’s economy.

Those two needs are particularly important now that the holiday shopping season is over and questions linger over how quickly the COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out.

“Optimism is driven by the vaccine and the question of how quickly it gets out, and how quickly your typical consumer feels safe to go about their daily business,” Sachse said.

There’s even more fallout from the pandemic hounding some businesses.

“Because of the disruption we saw in supply chains throughout the late spring and early summer, that’s also starting to hit a lot of small retailers… at a time when they don’t have inventory on the shelves and don’t have customers coming in,” Sachse said. “They’re seeing shipments delayed because their suppliers were delayed in getting those products out to market.”

For Mainstream Boutique, 2020 was about adapting to the pandemic and offering services like curbside pickup, delivery, in-store safety measures and online services. 

Roman hopes a new year brings new opportunities.

“I messaged Heather, the owner, and said, ‘It’s going to be a good year. I’m excited for a new start, a new year, just everything,’” she said