in March 2020 we were invited to a Corktown Business Association meeting in the back room of Nemo’s Bar. the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade was two days away, a huge event and tremendous money maker for all the Corktown bars & restaurants …and it was going to be our first one. the context for the meeting was whether or not the event should be cancelled given the looming threat of an unprecedented virus we had all been hearing about. there was a lot of debate considering a lot of these businesses had already bought and prepped their inventory for the event, versus the alternative stance that encouraging people to come down would be irresponsible. at one point the president of the business association said “we’re not sure how this is going to play out, but a lot of businesses in this room will not survive this.” my stomach dropped, i whispered to Nate “he’s talking about us.” after all, at this point we had been open for less than two months, had just completed (and funded) a massive buildout, and hardly had the name recognition to rely on. the parade went on, a compromise was made only on the amount it would actually be promoted. that day, my brother manned the Rent-a-Center sound system i secured last minute, desperately trying to take everyone’s mind off the overwhelming uncertainty. occasionally taking breaks to give me a pep talk during unending crying jags in the back hallway.