Soda City Market has been a staple of local business in the Midlands since 2005. The Main Street market, normally lined with vendors and street performers every Saturday morning, is now desolate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CEO of Soda City Market, Emile DeFelice, has had to make some difficult decisions in response to the coronavirus. “We are now a skeleton staff, I laid myself off first and I have one remaining staff member,” stated DeFelice. This sacrifice comes with words of encouragement for his patrons and vendors. “We will all get back to normal at some point—we can’t wait to be together as a city again.”
No one knows more about encouragement than Soda City’s most inspiring dancer, Ayden. Ayden’s dance moves are only rivaled by his passion for spreading happiness to the people surrounding him. The words of wisdom from this eight-year-old are to “stay healthy and never stop dancing.”
Another person fighting the virus with creativity is owner of Nana by Sally, Sally Peek. Peek, who normally can be seen at a booth selling her hand-made bags on Saturdays, is now sewing up something else in her studio. “I joined a local group of people who are sewing masks for healthcare workers,” stated Peek. Now she works around-the-clock providing a much-needed service for healthcare workers and the community, so they can stay safe and stylish.
