Mercer County businesses say they're busier than ever

From restaurants to retailers, Mercy County businesses said they're "exceptionally busy" and despite all the challenges they continue to face, the hustle and bustle are what keeps them running.
"We have been so busy this month and everybody's out downtown shopping," Laura Ackley, General Manager of Donna's Diner in Sharon said, "We really kicked off the holidays on Small Business Saturday and it has just continued to be a great month for us."
A lack of workers along with some empty shelves has not gone away, and neither has COVID, but businesses said they've continued to adjust and work harder to keep products on the shelves and customers in the door.
"We're just doing the best we can, and we actually are working the last month with less than normal staff, but we just get keep plugging away and doing the best we can," Connie Leon, Retail Manager of Daffin's in Sharon said.
Ackley agrees that attracting staff is a challenge, but said by having a competitive pay scale, they've managed.
"Because the business is exponentially better and the staffing is exponentially harder right now...so we pay very well, we're a great place to work... that's what we can offer," she said.
Businesses said they are continuing to adjust and hope the Omicron variant does not impact businesses in the ways COVID has before.
"Naturally it's all in the back of our minds, but we're doing the best we can to stay open and service all our customers," Leon said, "We're still taking all the precautions recommending that if you don't have your vaccine, you continue to wear your mask, still having the cleansing process..."