Albertans pride themselves on their entrepreneurial spirit, and with many shop windows now bedecked with permanent "CLOSED" signs, it's gratifying to see that some small businesses have managed to survive, thrive, and in some instances, exceed all expectations.
That's not to say it's been easy. Many have had to reconfigure their entire workflow to meet the changing needs of the public and the demands of public health agencies - in some cases with only a day's notice.
An initial pivot towards e-commerce was crucial. Some businesses were lucky and had, at the very least, a prototype in place, while others had to build from the ground up.
"I have taught myself a whole new set of skills," said Danielle Hadden, owner of Danielle's Consignment.
"Consignment is much different than a retail store in the fact that we have one of everything," she said. Meaning that once an item is sold, it's gone for good - and that means staff are endlessly updating inventory on their site.
Hadden said she took on most of the work herself just to cut costs, using YouTube videos to teach herself website design and maintenance.
For Karen Kho, owner of Empire Provisions, the ability to convert quickly to online sales was part of their early success.
Typically one part retail, one part café, and one part catering company, Kho said they needed to find a way to capture new customers while covering lost café and catering income.
Outside of owning a bar or restaurant, owning a bookstore has long been considered a risky business investment, so it was serendipitous that it took a pandemic to provide a boost in business, with online orders at Owl's Nest Books jumping from one per cent to 40 to 50 per cent of sales.
By November, they had to ask their operations manager to ease up on social media posts because they couldn't keep up with demand.
"She was too good at her job," said owner Susan Hare, laughing.
Hare said many customers were surprised that their webstore was no different and no harder to use than Amazon. And as Amazon began prioritizing shipping of essential items over books, in some cases, Owl's Nest was able to deliver even faster than the online giant.
They "thrived due to the support of the community," said Hare, adding that one of the benefits of offering delivery was a new customer base extending to the suburbs.
Meanwhile, some businesses managed to fare just fine without much of an online presence.
Gordon Johansen, owner of The Sentry Box, Calgary's gaming destination, made do with phone orders throughout lockdown, noting that even then, "Each time we pulled an order, it was four times as much work for us."
Johansen said they created an online games listing, and offered city-wide delivery for a flat fee of $10, which went straight to the employee making the delivery.
As soon as they were able to open doors, sales went back to normal "pretty much instantly" due to the loyalty of their customer base - despite cutting store hours and capacity.
Jennifer Lablond, owner of Steeling Home, said that as well as an increased demand for puzzles and activities, customers were often looking for a way to "jazz up their space with things that make you feel good," with a focus on items that would spruce up their home environment and add comfort.
Lablond said there was not only a surge in customers looking to shop locally, but a greater demand for locally or Canadian-made items.
Myra Miller, co-owner of Velour Clothing Exchange, also noticed that customers were being much more conscious of what they were purchasing.
"COVID has had some hidden blessings in that people have become much more aware of the environment and sustainability," she said, "and it's Millennials driving that trend."
As many Calgarians took to cleaning their closets throughout lockdown, customers interested in forgoing fast fashion could reap the rewards of Velour's countless used and vintage treasures.
Giving products new life is also one of the mandates of Melodiya and Hot Wax Records, and both shops saw an influx of used record collections and equipment making its way into the shop as Calgarians also spent lockdown downsizing - which helped facilitate another vinyl revival.
"Minimum wage workers and people who live off of tips are a large part of our customer base, and when those people are affected it usually affects us quite a bit," said Eddie Dalrymple, owner of Melodiya and Hot Wax.
"We're an at-home industry, so suddenly all these people working from home moved their budget here."
Demand remains high with many suppliers sold out of turntables by the beginning of December.
Supply chain became the bane of many a retailer's existence, and none more so than in the sporting goods industry. Sales were unprecedented - which meant many shops were unprepared for the relentless demand.
"Lead times are beyond anything I've seen in 30 years," said Bike Bike owner Sean Carter.
He emphasized that anyone hoping to buy or service a bike for the spring should start looking now.
"Last year was the unicorn crazy year that nobody ever thought would happen, and this year might be the opposite because of supply chain problems."
Rory Allen, manager of Switching Gear, echoed the sentiment.
"If we'd had all the cross country skis and skates we could fit in the store, we'd be laughing all the way to the bank, but that's a problem everyone has had."
Allen said keeping up with demand was "like steering a boat. There's a lot of course correction and it can change very quickly."
Unsurprisingly, liquor stores saw a huge boost in March when it was uncertain whether they could remain open.
Jesse Willis, proprietor of Vine Arts, said another liquor shop had to bail them out with 60 cases of wine - they had almost nothing under $30 left in the shop at one point.
Willis said Vine Arts created a cocktail kit which they could not keep in stock, and their wine kits also became a great way for their staff to provide online recommendations as customers began hosting their own virtual wine tastings.
Empire Provisions' Kho said their meal kits were also a hit. Creating kits like the post-Christmas Hawaiian Luau dinner was, "a way for our team to find a little bit of joy in the day-to-day, too.
"We're in small business purgatory. You have to think about keeping your doors open, but you also have to think about the people who are helping you do it."
A combination of beginner's art kits and virtual classes proved to be extremely popular for customers of Inglewood Art Supplies.
Many were either, "looking to return to painting and drawing, or taking it up for the first time," said owner Melanie Aikenhead. "And there was a bigger push to support local instead of shopping online."
In November, a survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found that 68 per cent of customers now feel safer shopping in small, local shops.
Vine Arts' Willis said that push towards local businesses showed Calgarians,"that if you want these unique smaller spots to be around, you have to go above and beyond to support them, even if it's a little less convenient."