The COVID-19 crisis has hit businesses everywhere, and it nearly caused a century-old gardening store in Poland to close for good. The owners of the neighborhood shop Sklep Ogrodniczy u Jadzi on Bagatela Street in Warsaw, one of the few streets that survived the Second World War, feared it might not survive the impact of the virus – until loyal customers stepped up.

Anna Skibicka, together with her boyfriend Kamil Iwo Krajewski, posted on Facebook a message that, roughly tran...slated, said: “The owners are desperate. Unfortunately, the store may not last the next month. It has been operating here for over 100 years, and as the co-owner said, ‘Hitler did not close the store, but the coronavirus will do it’.” The post was shared more than 10,000 times and the next day a big line formed outside the shop – all with people standing a safe distance apart. U Jadzi has since announced that they will be selling online through Facebook and allowing customers to buy gift cards.