EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Vidler's 5 & 10 would be celebrating its 90th anniversary, but this iconic store in the very heart of East Aurora is empty as they adjust to a new norm.
"It's odd. It's very strange," owner Don Vidler said. "It just reverberates throughout the community."
From Vidler's 5 & 10 to small stores in your community, local businesses need support now more than ever. It's why the retail council of New York has stepped in.
"There are some great stores in New York State that are shipping right out to you," Ted Potrikus, President & CEO of the Retail Council of New York State said. "They're doing all of those things that the big companies do."
The website is called www.retailnewyork.com and provides a list of places that are still taking orders. The best part? It's free for any business to sign up.
"It helps. Every little bit helps. I mean I know everyone is online these days so it just gets their name out there and helps the cause."
Vidler's 5 & 10 and The Bookworm & BW Gifts are two of the many businesses in New York who have taken advantage of this free website and the hope is that many more businesses in Western New York will do the same.
"This is a way to go to those main street shops that I think all of us have come to miss a lot more than we thought we would," Potrikus said. "We really do miss the social experience of shopping and and this is a way to at least keep those doors open so they can open their doors again when all of this is over."
And the mission is to keep this website up and running long past the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting local shops year-round.
"Everyone's taking a huge hit." Vidler said. "Vidler's will make it, we'll be around, I want to assure people that but a lot of businesses it's very difficult. Anything people can do now to help us out is terrific and when they come back, hopefully they'll help us out then too."
Any business interested in adding their business to the website can click here.
