SMALL BUSINESS

What was supposed to be a normal day for Helen Walters turned into a day full of emotion and heartbreak.

The Taste of Virginia Expo returned to the Hotel Roanoke Saturday for people to see vendors right from within the state.

This holiday season, businesses are encouraging you to shopping local as opposed to online retailers.

It all comes at you so quickly: One minute, you’re making grocery lists and setting the menu for Thanksgiving, and then, in the blink of an eye, the holiday has arrived, only to be followed by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday -- and then your tree goes up and Christmas morning is here.

The Downtown Lynchburg Association is gearing up to publish Hill City Eats: A Downtown Lynchburg Cookbook.

Owners Emma and Steve Fischer said their business provides authentic recipes from the U.K. and everything is made from scratch.

Hill City Donuts recently opened in the popular Mama Crockett’s Cider Donuts location.

Mission House Coffee announced Wednesday that they’re opening of a third location, in addition to their Downtown Lynchburg and River Ridge Mall locations.

While many restaurants have been forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages and inflation, one Lynchburg business is expanding.

Russian cyberattacks could strike the United States as part of the invasion in Ukraine.

Among the many things Bernie Thompson has seen change since he started his computer-accessories company is the price of advertising on Amazon. Plugable, the business he founded in his garage in Bellevue, Washington, began placing ads on the e-commerce site in 2014. Back then, it paid roughly 14 cents every time someone clicked on an ad. Now, each click costs Plugable an average of $1.60, according to data the company shared with NBC News.

Two Roanoke entrepreneurs are stepping into new roles to help advise other small business owners and the importance of representation is on the forefront for these new hires.

ROANOKE, Va. – Small business owners now have the opportunity for one-on-one help applying for PPP loans as part of the Cares Act. The Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center is going on a road show and offering in-person assistance for businesses with 20 employees or less. Amanda Forrester, the director, said money is still available but not enough business owners are taking advantage of it, especially women and minority owned businesses. Business owners must register for time slots online. The first one will be at the Vinton War Memorial on Wednesday, March 10.

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Paula Bolte and her business, Imaginations Toy and Furniture Store, have made some hard adjustments this year because of COVID-19, but she hopes she can finish 2020 with strong sales before Christmas. “Between October and December is almost half of our business,” Bolte said. That included Andrew Brooks and Beth Wallen, who said they made it a point to do their Christmas shopping at small businesses. “We’ve seen nothing compared to what it usually is around Christmas, but we are incredibly grateful,” Bolte said. “This is my 24th Christmas of being the Toy Lady.

A stretch of stores along the base of Munjoy Hill had open signs out and were ready for business as part of small business Saturday, November 28, 2015. This could be foreboding news for small business owners who are counting on holiday sales to recoup sagging revenues. While shoppers may be curbing spending in 2020, the CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey revealed that 30% of shoppers plan to patronize a small business on Small Business Saturday. Strategies in the Covid economyConsidering the many challenges small business owners face, experts give tips on how they can drive sales during this key shopping day. Gary Huether Jr., president and CEO, Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar hopes Small Business Saturday sales will boost revenues.

BUENA VISTA, Va – After plans for major development in Buena Vista were scrapped earlier this week, business owners and city leaders are working together to determine what the future of downtown will look like. Friday business owners met with the planning team the city has hired to discuss what new businesses they hope to bring downtown. Ed Walker, who has been involved in redevelopment efforts across the area, informed city officials in Buena Vista that he will auction off the remaining properties he originally bought in 2018 in downtown Buena Vista. “If we can put some light and some activity and some noise and some people out here, we’d like to think we’re helping Buena Vista,” Nablo said. The city hopes to have the plan finished by November.

RADFORD, Va – The City of Radford is taking several steps to help some of its businesses financially bounce back from setbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The city has used some of the money from the CARES Act to help create the NRV Business Continuity Team (BCT) which will help provide resources to help local businesses reopen and stay open safely. Radford Mayor David Horton said it is a step in the right direction toward economic recovery. “We are working to help our businesses be in the strongest position possible moving forward. They’ve had so many challenges and we want to do our best to help them be successful and put them in a position for future growth,” said Radford Mayor David Horton.

FILE PHOTO: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discusses details for economic relief during the daily coronavirus response briefing as Small Business (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza listens at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File PhotoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that senior Republicans and Democrats in Congress are close to reaching agreement on a new coronavirus response bill. I think were very close to a deal today and Im hopeful we can get that done, Mnuchin said in an interview with CNN.

A divided House panel has endorsed a proposal to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level. Groups supporting an end to the national prohibition on pot call the 24-10 vote by the House Judiciary Committee historic. However, even if passed in the House, the proposal faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate. The House Judiciary Committee approved the proposal 24-10 after more than two hours of debate. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee complained that the proposal to decriminalize cannabis had never had a hearing and lacked the bipartisan support needed to become law.

President Obama, along with daughters Sasha and Malia, visit local stores Upshur Street Books and Pleasant Pops in Washington, D.C. on a holiday shopping trip the Saturday after Thanksgiving