The new coronavirus has changed life for all of us. Local businesses have taken a huge economic hit, but communities are finding creative ways to support the establishments they know and love.
In an effort to help local businesses in our communities stay connected and succeed, Patch will shine a light on some of them through a series of Q&A articles during this time.
J Kretschmer Architect is one of the businesses in town facing struggles during the coronavirus. You can lend your support by reading more about the company, below, and by contacting them here.
Tell us about your business and its history in your town.
The firm of J. Kretschmer, Architect is located in Los Gatos, California and was founded in 2003. We specialize in designing beautiful, energy-efficient single family homes, multifamily residential up to four units and commercial tenant improvement projects.
Our principal architect moved to Los Gatos 12 years ago. Since then our firm has been located, involved and has been providing architectural services to the Los Gatos community. Our firm is committed to sustainable and green design and has been practicing as a virtual office with all remote workers to end the practice of polluting car commuting.
How has the new coronavirus impacted your business and its employees?
Our team has always consisted of all remote workers and have the years of experience of working that way. But we have had to stop meeting clients in person and construction of all our projects have been put on hold due to the County Health Order.
We are continuing to work with clients whose projects are still in the planning phases. Since our team has already been working effectively remotely, we have been able to transition client meetings to remote meetings and continue to provide design services. Our clients are responding well to the new meeting process and actually seem to enjoy the use of mark-up tools available to them in video conferences.
Our team has also been in contact with the community development departments of most local jurisdictions and have transitioned to digital plan submissions and reviews, where available. Lastly, we are working closely with our construction partners to develop healthy practices at construction sites.
How can local customers support you now and in the future?
Customers can continue to support our business by making this their time to plan their new home, remodel, addition or residential investment project.
Do you have any words of encouragement for your community?
I have seen that our community is resilient and will pull together so that we will come out from this event stronger than ever. We will learn from this experience so that if or when future events challenge us, we’ll be able to implement what we’ve learned to have less disruption to our lives.
Are you offering any special services, promotions or hours during this time?
Our firm offers a unique service called a feasibility study where we help property owners assess whether their dreams or ideas will be successful in meeting design, code, zoning and financial goals. A feasibility study can be completed in three weeks and is a “jump-start” for any project, even if you choose not to hire our firm as your architects. It’s something that can be done while sheltering in place.
Are there any other outstanding businesses in town you think deserve some community support?
Do you own a local business in need of a feature on Patch? Fill out the questions in this form for consideration. Or, check out Patch’s full list of resources for small businesses during the coronavirus crisis.
Thank you, and stay safe!
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This article originally appeared on the Los Gatos Patch