Page 34 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2020

JACKSON COUNTY
story by Cynthia Dobbs Sutton
Aphotos courtesy of Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau
s one of the many pieces that makes the Coast so creative and strong, Ocean Springs has taken on a proactive role during this time. No one expected a
pandemic to hit and slow down our economy, shut down our small businesses or alter the way we spend our days. However, Ocean Springs is #OSCommunityStrong.
At the onset of this pandemic reaching the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Ocean Springs Mayor Shea Dobson organized a community meeting with our small businesses to get
the word out and strengthen the lines of communication
Cynthia
Dobbs Sutton, Executive Director, Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau
between the City, Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau, and local businesses about
the days ahead. A resource page was created on the Chamber’s website titled “Ocean Springs Community Strong,” providing links to small business resources, health information from
the Singing River Hospital System
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up-to-date information about the city’s facilities, school district, festivals, events, local parks and museum statuses. And, stories are growing on our social media platforms – Instagram, Facebook and Twitter – sharing how
A MESSAGE from business owners in Ocean Springs.
Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Shearwater Pottery,
the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and other entities throughout town. Restaurants are nding creative ways to o er family dinner specials taking into consideration those who may have lost their jobs due to the times.
We are working hard to share positivity and encourage the local community to stay strong, hence our hashtag OSCommunityStrong. This is our term for how strong our local businesses have been during this time, how creative our artists are, and how lines of communication can meet up by visiting, www.oceanspringschamber.com, and linking to the resources, social media platforms and videos.
our small businesses have been handling this crisis and altering their ways of business.
Creative projects have stemmed from this new way of life. Boutiques are making TikTok videos to reach customers. Art organizations, such as The Mary C., provided members with curated crates lled with art supplies so locals could keep making art. They coined this program “Art Interrupted.” Virtual tours are popping up with the
34 | May 2020 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living