Faithful customers kept Thai Kitchen alive during pandemic The pandemic was hard on many local businesses and sadly, some didn’t survive. But others made it through that unsettled period and are still alive. Over the next several weeks, we’ll look at their stories and what made the difference for them. Despite its small footprint, a solid customer-base helped Thai Kitchen in Evans survive two years of pandemic shut downs and restrictions that closed some bigger restaurants. “We have to thank our customers,” Marasri Ortiz said. “They’re the reason we’re still

In March 2020, Arielle Page was baking pastries for the Four Seasons Hotel in midtown Atlanta. Now she controls the menu as the owner of Arie’s Confectionaries, a local cheesecake business. After being laid off due to the pandemic, Page returned to Augusta and was unemployed for about eight months before officially starting her business on Aug. 11, 2020. During that time, she thought about how she wanted to use her extensive baking experience. Page discovered Augusta had no bakeries strictly devoted to cheesecake, and businesses that sold the dessert