OTTAWA --
It's been a tough go for independent businesses in Ottawa constantly trying to pivot during the pandemic.
"We actually had to close because one of our employees got sick, luckily not too badly," said Isaac Farbiasz, the co-owner of the ByWard Fruit Market.
The independent business has been in the area for 22 years and like many, transitioning to curbside pickup and delivery was a challenge.
"Pretty stressful, very difficult, pretty much under the gun all the time," he admitted.
This past year, Farbiasz teamed up with other ByWard Market staples - House of Cheese, Lapointe Fish, Mavericks Donuts, and Saslove's Meat Market - in an online venture dubbed the Best of ByWard.