ROANOKE, Va. – A first-of-its-kind job fair aimed specifically at downtown Roanoke businesses attracted a range of job seekers on Wednesday, with local owners hoping to boost both their workforce and the community as a whole.
Doloris Vest, owner of Book No Further, a local bookstore, says that while job applications are plentiful, finding qualified candidates remains a challenge.
“One of the things we face is a lot of people don’t understand what our particular job is,” Vest explained. “We say it’s about 25% books and about 75% business.”
Several businesses in downtown Roanoke are still feeling the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many were forced to close temporarily, and while some have fully reopened, the struggle to maintain a qualified staff continues.
The Mast General Store, however, was fortunate to retain most of its workforce during the pandemic. The store is now looking for part-time sales associates after managing to bring back nearly all of its staff following a six-week closure.
“We had our store fully staffed, we had to ask everybody to go home, and then six weeks later we had to ask them to come back,” said the General Manager Olivia King. “We were very fortunate in that the huge majority of them came back to work for us.”
The job fair was open to applicants from all walks of life, with organizers stressing the importance of supporting local businesses. Small shops in the area, often owned by local residents, are at the heart of the community’s economic recovery.
Downtown Roanoke Inc. was one of the organizers of the local job fair. Izzy Post is the Marketing and Communications Director for the group and was helping people get checked in when they arrived at the job fair.
“A lot of these places are small businesses,” Post said. “They’re your neighbors, your friends who own these businesses, and hiring your neighbors keeps money local. It’s a great way to highlight not only what we have here, but also those small businesses.”
As the downtown area continues its recovery, business owners hope that filling jobs will help revitalize the district, bringing more energy and economic activity to the area.
“When I started, I was working by myself, and somebody said you don’t have any co-workers,” Vest added. “I said no really, I have tons of co-workers because you get to know the people in the other businesses.”
The event was part of a broader effort to strengthen connections between businesses and foster a sense of shared recovery in downtown Roanoke.