“I made sure we never ran out of eggs, bacon, chicken, filet mignon and caviar,” said Maurizio Ciminella, managing partner of Amici Market. “Private chefs throughout the island were placing orders, cooking three family meals daily. Our regular customers also were cooking at home, asking us for recipes and giving us feedback.”

Amici had to rethink its business model. The company increased the number of employees taking phone orders, added curbside pick-up plus morning and afternoon home deliveries. Gifts of sample-size olive oil or balsamic vinegar, potato chips and cookies were included with every order.

Ciminella says that the last weeks have been rewarding. His customers have thanked him for being there and the market has retained all 33 of its employees.

For the past 18 years, Martine and Thierry Miroir’s Blue Provence has been supplying residents with gourmet foods, wines and tableware from France.

“The first week of the shutdown the block had an eerie feeling. Nobody knew exactly what to do. It was chaos,” Martine Miroir said of South County Road. “Thierry went back into the kitchen to prepare ready-to-heat and eat French classics such as beef Bourguignon, duck a la orange, chicken Milanese, tajins and chicken curry Royal. We even did curbside takeout.”

Miroir says their customers began to thank them for being there. For the first time she felt a real sense of community. The situation seemed to put everyone on the same level.

Supplies of most of their products from France have not been interrupted. They carry Pain Poilane, caviar, smoked salmon, a full selection of French cheeses and wines. The shop also has freshly baked baguettes, fruit tarts and pastry.

“Just before the beginning of season, we decided to make an investment and improve our online store,” said Judi King, partner of Hamptons Palm Beach Fine Wines and Spirits. “Business throughout the last 10 weeks has been brisk, like Christmas busy. Our delivery service is also in place. We do three to four runs daily. The gifting business has also picked up. We personalize selections with gift wrap, hand-written cards and delivery.”

Hamptons also coordinates private Zoom wine events for customers. Aperol spritzers are the island’s most popular aperitif. Casamigos tequila and Tito’s handmade vodka also are big sellers. The shop carries a well-curated selection of French, Italian and California wines.

“Last month was the best month I had since I’ve been in business,” said James W. Sim, Jr., owner of All Brand Vacuums, Inc.

The shop has been on the island for 10 years and sells gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, face shields, air purifiers, scented vinegar, specialty detergents from The Laundress, Persil, Perwoll (imported from Germany), Rowenta irons, steamers and vacuum cleaners.

With buildings locked down, housekeepers and cleaning services were furloughed, residents who needed to do laundry, scrub, dust and sanitized their abodes headed to All Brand Vacuums for supplies.

“My customers wanted to replace their bagless vacuums with models that had disposable bags. They also discovered our wide-range of environmentally friendly cleaning products and quality appliances,” said Sim. “We service everything we sell. Seventy percent of my sales were to new customers who thanked me for being open and said that they would patronize my shop in the future.”

155 N. County Road

832-0201

300 S. County Road

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249-0522

257 Royal Poinciana Way

832-8368

305 S. County Road

967-3575