Successful Aging in Place (COVID-19 Era) Business
“Sooner or later, everything old is new again.”
~Stephen King, The Colorado Kid
Aging in Place
I grew up in the 1960-70s in a small Oregon town, the kind with drive-in movies, bowling alleys and neighborhood taverns. What it lacked in imagination it made up for in quaintness–the kind of place many baby boomers experienced.
Resting by the front step, for as long as I can remember, was a painted white fiberboard milk box with an image of a snow-covered mountain and the words “SNOW PEAK DAIRY” embossed in light blue just over the peak. Every morning like clockwork high school boys in their letterman jackets pulled up in a shiny white milk truck (standing door open) and delivered milk and cream in freshly cleaned bottles with glossy cardboard caps; colors indicating the percent of milk fat.
Just last year I was cleaning out my family’s house to sell (they are gone now) and I found that very milk box in the garage. I was suddenly in life-review and remembering how good that cool milk tasted and how the cream settled on the top. I ended up setting the milk box back near the front step where it was employed so many years ago, a bitter-sweet last act before I handed over the keys.
The Business of COVID-19 / Home Delivery is Back
Today, COVID-19 has left nothing un-touched there are winners and losers being reported daily on the news. Boeing, Cruise lines, restaurants (I saw a closed up dark restaurant in a small town with the unfortunate name of “GATHER” recently), gig workers are all suffering; yet others like Amazon, telehealth, Zoom, are growing exponentially!
I was listening to NPR this morning and they were interviewing the owner of the South Mountain Creamery, a business that is BOOMING! This small family dairy delivers farm-fresh milk, eggs, produce, and more, straight to your door each week. The dairy is in Middletown, MD and is owned by Tony Brusco and the Sowers family (3 generations since 1981). They employ 130 people as per the website check today; but that may soon change. Since COVID-19 many are Leary about shopping, especially the elderly, and so their business is growing each day with new sign-on subscribers.
What’s Old is New Again
For years I have been hearing “aging in place” is outdated and living in the suburbs was called “the architecture of isolation.” Aging in Community, new urbanism, co-housing were the new models for optimal living into one’s old age. That may well be, but for now, aging in place equates to being safe at home–and for many that is vitally important, now and well into the foreseeable future!
Serving the 75 million plus baby boomers in their homes has become not just an adaptive necessity but an un-fair competitive advantage. Business like South Mountain Creamery will not only survive but will THRIVE in the new era of living with the Novel Corona Virus.
Success Traits of a Post COVID-19 Business like South Mountain Creamery ARE the following (as I see it):
- Healthy Products = Longevity Partners/Aging Well
- A Story (3rd generation dairy family) and Legacy = Business you can trust
- Social Distancing (home delivery) Safety
- Tech/App for that (Social Media, Easy Website Layout, 1-2-3 step process
- Fix and Forget it (boomers love that) Weekly Subscription Service
- Farm-to-Fork (green/environmental appeal)
- Nostalgia: Definition, a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life, to one’s home or homeland
This is the perfect Aging in Place business and I wish them much success and thanks for being part of the solution!
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South Mountain Creamery
NPR/Business Booms As People Avoid Grocery Stores / Google