Earlier this year, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down so much of the world, Jessi traveled to Tupelo, MS, to interview the founders of Blue Delta Jeans, Nick Weaver and Josh West for an episode of Hello Monday. Nick and Josh are small business owners with a twist: Their base of operations is in Tupelo, but their business - selling bespoke jeans - happens online and around the world. A bunch of MLB and NFL athletes swear by their jeans. So does Nicole Kidman. In the first half of this interview, they talk about how they got started and what it means to build industry in their hometown.

When the pandemic hit after the first part of this interview, Blue Delta Jeans figured out a way to keep the lights on and be of service to their community. In the second half of this episode, they share their experiences as SMB owners during the pandemic, and how they augmented their business to supply PPE to first responders in Mississippi.