Camden Chamber uses social media to help out businesses

Amy Clark | 6/25/2020

After many of Camden’s locally owned restaurants and businesses were forced to close due to COVID-19, the Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce began To-Go Tuesdays and Website Wednesdays.

To-Go Tuesdays began on March 24 as an opportunity for the owners of local restaurants to be interviewed live by Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce Director Laura Agee about their restaurant’s history, to-go options, sanitization methods, adjusted hours and social media.

Website Wednesdays are similar but aim to promote shops, manufacturers and other non-restaurant establishments.

Agee created the Facebook series and aired it on the Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wilcoxareachamber.

The interviews are recorded and posted on the Chamber Facebook page on most Tuesday and Wednesdays.

The first To-Go Tuesday posted on March 24 featured the owners of Rack & Reel Sport Grill and quickly reached more than 1,000 views on Facebook. The segment focused on how COVID-19 changed the operations of the restaurant and the different options available for picking up food.

The last To-Go Tuesday post on June 9 did not feature an interview, but included a shout-out on the Wilcox Area Chambers of Commerce Facebook page that announced the reopening of The Pecan on Broad.

Agee said Facebook is a fast way to reach residents throughout Wilcox County with some postings reaching more than 2,000 views with multiple shares.

She said another Camden resident, James Lawler, introduced her to Streamyard, which is a split-screen streaming service that allows people in separate places to talk as if they were face-to-face.

Agee said the To-Go Tuesdays and Website Wednesdays are popular in Camden, with business and restaurant owners eager to be featured on the Chamber site.

Now, many restaurants and retails shops in Camden are opening their doors again with new rules in place intended to enforce social distancing guidelines and strict sanitization routines.

“If you’re here, you won’t really feel anything different except you’ll see people in the stores wearing masks,” Agee said about Camden’s progress on reopening.

According to Agee, local businesses and restaurants have appreciated Chamber assistance in getting the word out when take-out meals were the only option and stay-at-home directives posed challenges for local businesses.

Listed below are the links for the Facebook pages of many businesses mentioned during the series so far. More information about hours of operation, menus and specials can be found on their Facebook pages.

Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce:

https://www.facebook.com/wilcoxareachamber

Rack & Reel Sports Grill, LLC:

https://www.facebook.com/rackandreel

Larry’s Drive-In:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Larry's%20Drive-In/117479414978479/

Mike’s County Kitchen:

https://www.facebook.com/mikescountrykitchen

Hunters Run:

https://www.facebook.com/Hunters-Run-Camden-Alabama-2163923077223902

GainesRidge:

https://www.facebook.com/GainesRidge-826559577721628