PERRYSBURG, Ohio — The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stressful time for many who find themselves stuck at home, or even out of work. But, one Perrysburg business owner has refused to shut her doors for the sake of her employees' mental health.
Ashley Balester is the owner of Local Roots Juice Co. in the city's downtown. She said she's determined to keep her juice and smoothie bar open and not cut hours or employees during the ongoing pandemic.
"We did it, we persevered," Balester said.
She wanted her small shop to be a place for her employees to break away from the stress many of us are feeling because of coronavirus.
"A lot of our employees are college-age girls and so a lot of them didn't get to go to class. They're in their houses, in rooms all day working on school. So for them to get to come here, it is a release and it's a positive thing, so I wanted to do it for them," Balester said.
As for the workers, they say it's working and Local Roots feels different than your typical job.
"When no one could really go anywhere, it was really nice to just get out of the house, and even though it was work, it ended up being fun," Local Roots employee Tara Connelly said.
"It's like a safe haven where my friends are really my coworkers and it's been a good sort of like stress relief almost to come to work," manager Anne Glore said.
Balester said she will continue to spread joy to her employees and customers during these unpredictable times.