Salena Zito: Pulling up roots: What a community loses when small businesses can’t survive

Salena Zito: Pulling up roots: What a community loses when small businesses can’t survive

PITTSBURGH — ...Through tears he says he simply has had enough — not of his customers, not of creating new dishes or specialized drinks, but of all the uncertainty that has dogged nearly every small businessman in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

• “It started with COVID and just over time, the uncertainty, the stress of trying to stay open, the inability to hire people, the underlying tension in society, the inflationary cost of everything you need to purchase to create quality food, that is, if you can get it…”...
• The food costs are crushing him, he said, but so is the cost of doing business, period. His utility bills have skyrocketed, as has the cost of fuel...

“It just breaks you down no matter how strong you are,” said Mr. Mikesell...