LORENA, TX — A tenth of greater Waco's population is self-employed, a group of experts explains it as exceptionally susceptible to turbulent economic activity.
Nikki Johnson, owner of local gem and crystal shop, Little Running Cornstalk is one of those many people.
“A weekly basis a year ago I was probably shipping out 20 to 30 orders,” said Johnson.
Johnson's shop entirely online has seen a rise in sales, nearly tripling their weekly sales.
“I mainly have a social media following, and I do a lot of my sales through Instagram” explained Johnson.
Though her business is not entirely unscathed by the pandemic, as gem shows Johnson relies on for networking and purchases have been halted.
“I haven’t been able to shop at gem shows where I network and get some more inventory,” said Johnson.
Current estimates approximate online sales have risen nearly 50% as social distancing took hold, positively impacting many online stores.
Johnson says weekly sales throughlittlerunningcornstalk.com andInstagram are around the 70 to 80 weekly shipment mark.
“I generally just buy what I gravitate towards, what I find to be beautiful, and I connect with, and find happiness out of...I really put my heart into it and my customer sees that and appreciates it,” concluded Johnson.
