By Mackenzie Acker

Features Editor

Photo provided by Mackenzie Acker

Mock Orange Bikes’ empty storefront after its closing.

Baptized in clothing dye and incense in cigarette smoke, Winston-Salem once served as a congregation of corporate business. Nowadays, though, Winston struggles to keep even the smallest of storefronts open.

    Small business closures have swept through the city, and current business owners are struggling to keep their heads above water. More than ten businesses have closed this year in downtown Winston-Salem alone, heightening fear for the city’s economy. Though with a looming recession and nationwide economic struggles, the question is whether this is natural turnover or if Winston-Salem is in trouble. 

    Mock Orange Bikes is a recent example of small business closures in Winston-Salem, and this closure hits close to home. Mock Orange is just a walk away from R.J. Reynolds High School, and it has served students and families for over twenty years. The impacts have been felt across the community, particularly because of the long-time owner Charles’ commitment to Winston-Salem.

    “Charles was just part of the community,” Tommy Priest, the owner of the neighboring Coffee Park Airstream, said. “I watched people that didn’t have any money, but needed a new bike tube, or they needed something fixed on their bike, and he would drop everything and he’d fix it for them and get them on their way again.”

    Following news of the closure, dozens of comments about the owner Charles’ kindness and servitude were seen across social media, accentuating his commitment to the community.  This character is part of what drove the success of Mock Orange Bikes. The business was a prosperous, central part of the Winston-Salem cycling community for years. Their website page, “Friends With Their Bikes,” is decorated with dozens of pictures of new bike purchases and smiling faces. These purchases didn’t just serve the community; they kept Mock Orange in business for twenty-two years. So what happened? Ultimately, that’s up to speculation; the owner didn’t leave a direct comment on why the closing occurred, but many point simply to the changing bike industry.

    “The bike industry went through a lot of changes in 2020,” Priest said. “They started selling direct to consumer, and they were selling direct to consumer at the same prices that they were selling to the independent bike shop owners, eliminating the markup.”

    Many skeptics have cited this as a reason for Mock Orange Bikes closing, which points towards a more general change in the industry Mock Orange operates in. This closure could have been an isolated incident. However, countless other business closures this year leave the situation ambiguous.

    “There’s been so many business closures, and I’m afraid that there’s more coming,” Priest said. “Hoots Beer Company just closed; they were in business for 12 years. That really hit a community of folks here.”

    Another one of these closures was Sweet Potatoes and Miss Ora’s Kitchen. This was a beloved restaurant located on North Trade Street in the heart of downtown. It employed 1,500 people and served more than one million customers over the past two decades, contributing greatly to the wealth of downtown. The business closed in February of this year, leaving many jobless. However, despite being closed for months, the building it occupied remains vacant, a sign that the once coveted trade street location is struggling. This closing will only accelerate the problem, leading to lower foot traffic and lower sales for other businesses in the surrounding area.

    “We would really like more businesses downtown, because the more stores that are here, the more people that come in, and the more foot traffic the other stores get.” Megan Smith, owner of the Winston-Salem Wellness, neighboring Sweet Potatoes, said. “With more stores, we’re able to pull in different audiences into our shops as well, so having people downtown really feeds businesses.”

    With stores closing rapidly, this effect harms neighboring businesses. And hundreds of communities across the country have experienced this with recent economic strains.

    “I think the COVID pandemic had a lot to do with it,” Smith said. “I feel like we’re starting to recover from that still. A lot of the business closures were due to the impacts from that.”

    But even despite those factors, business still isn’t black and white. While Trade Street may be struggling, some areas downtown, such as Bailey Park, are prosperous and have bounced back from the pandemic. 

    The reality is that local businesses close due to a wide web of factors. Post-pandemic recovery, shifts in consumer habits, rising costs, and changes in specific industries have shaped the landscape.

    What’s certain, though, is that small businesses like Mock Orange Bikes and Sweet Potatoes have long served as the heartbeat of this city, fostering connection, creativity, and community. As Winston-Salem continues to evolve, it’s up to local consumers to support the entrepreneurs who keep its spirit alive. Whether it’s a coffee shop, bike store, or local restaurant, each deserves our attention and patronage, because when small businesses thrive, so does Winston-Salem.