Hagerstown small business navigates its way successfully through the pandemic

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WDVM) — With congressional leaders hoping to vote on a stimulus package to help families and small businesses with struggles due to the pandemic, some businesses in Hagerstown have managed to meet the challenges head-on without the help from Washington, D.C.

Free Range Organic Cafe on Northern Avenue has managed to direct customers to its drive-thru window, take-away service, and online ordering. And the business has been successful at it.
A big part of that success, they say, is the support it has had from Washington County, the City of Hagerstown, and a very loyal customer base.

“We had not figured out online ordering or bringing food out to people’s cars,” says cafe owner Bettina Messersmith, “so all that happened very, very quickly.”

And Rori Daughtridge, who helps Messersmith, says “the City of Hagerstown has really had our back through this time. And I feel like they’ve been really concerned about our opening and how it’s going. The health department, everything has been so good to us in helping us navigate this time.”

The cafe is proud that during the economic downturn it has been able to support the local farming community which is a major supplier of its product.