RALEIGH, N.C. — The Tar Heel state is seeing near-record levels of new business creation, according to North Carolina’s Department of the Secretary of State.

This year, 60,000 new businesses were formed from January to April, compared to 39,000 at the start of the pandemic. However, one Raleigh bike shop says small businesses are still struggling to stay afloat and they have a feeling they’re not the only ones.

What You Need To Know

  • This year, 60,000 new N.C. businesses were formed from January to April, compared to 39,000 at the start of the pandemic

  • One Raleigh bike shop says small businesses are still struggling to stay afloat

  • A manager at Oak City Cycling says the shop recently shared a social media post reminding people to support local

It takes a lot for a small business to survive for more than a decade.

“We've been in this neighborhood for almost 12 years,” Charles Thompson, one of the managers at Oak City Cycling, said. “We try our best to offer something for anyone who rides bikes.”

Thompson’s job at Oak City Cycling combines many of his passions.

“I love to fix and make things that work in my hands. I also just love people. So I love the sales side of bike mechanics and just helping people enjoy cycling,” Thompson said.

When the pandemic hit, a renewed focus on spending time outside was met with supply chain issues, creating a perfect storm.

“There were three good months of selling everything we had on the floor and then a year and nine months of having nothing to sell,” Thompson said.

Thompson says over the last couple of years, they didn’t do as well as people might think, and unfortunately that hasn’t really changed.

“Not that it wasn't a problem beforehand, but as more people started to shop online and that became the norm. All brick-and-mortar, not just us, have suffered,” Thompson said. “If you want things that benefit everyone, or definitely benefit you, you have to support them.”

The shop recently shared a post on social media, offering a candid perspective on their struggles - three years since the start of the pandemic.

“People thinking we're doing really well, and us kind of confused and wondering why they were thinking that, and then came to the conclusion of plain and simple: Let's tell people we're not,” Thompson said. “We don't make enough on service alone to stay open. So if people don't buy locally and buy here, we will have to shut doors. That sucks, but it's there. It's a bummer.”

The post received about 2,000 likes and 100 comments, relaying an outpouring of support.

“It felt, it felt like we mattered enough to stay, which we needed,” Thompson said. “It's easy to feel like all people care about is getting something for cheaper, so it's nice to be reminded that people do care that we're here.”

Thompson has a feeling they’re not alone in this either.

“Seeing small businesses around here kind of close down, either quietly or with an announcement. I think everyone's hurting. I think everyone going through trying to keep the ship afloat through a pandemic was tough,” Thompson said.

As much as small businesses impact the surrounding community, Thompson says that’s only possible if the people living there consciously support them too.

“We're here and we're here for everyone. But there's only one way to stay here. It's with people shopping here,” Thompson said.

Thompson says another perk to supporting local is you’re getting more than just an item for a price. Small businesses usually have experts that can help you with repairs, recommendations, advice and even free community events.