GREENSBORO, N.C. – For months last year, shops around North Carolina stood empty, not allowed to bring in customers and relying on newly made websites to keep sales going. 

Owner Meg Strader decided years ago to invest in a social media strategy, posting new releases on Facebook and Instagram rather than running a website.

Last year during the stay at home order, she says all of their sales came from social media interactions, sometimes holding up items for people to view from outside the store.

“It’s allowed us to continue to see that that worked. That allowed us to move merchandise, and also allows us to continue to have new stuff come in, and we find that it’s the fastest way we can get information and product knowledge out to the community,” Strader says.

It also helps them hear direct feedback from customers, gauging what sells quickly or what people want more of.

Social media has changed in the last decade, and even in the last year, she says.

Her marketing and social media manager, Jessica Keyes, spends her days making sure each post pops and grabs customers' attention.

She puts together outfit options and models the clothes, so customers can get a full idea of each item without ever coming into the  store.

Sometimes the posts get so much reaction, items are sold out before it hits the shelf.

Even though they're back open, with traditional sales going again, many people are sticking with shopping through social media. And as Strader explained, those connections go near and far.

“Someone in Colorado had a friend that was in New York that followed us through a connection back to Greensboro somehow. So we counted our blessings daily with that," she says.