Randy Reid was prepared to reopen Darkhorse Comics this week prior to the announcement of the region being put in an extended lockdown.
“I wasn’t surprised, but it is devastating. I was prepared to hold on here until this week,” said Reid as he was preparing his store for limited curbside pickup Tuesday afternoon.
Throughout the lockdown, non-essential businesses like Reid’s have been forced to completely close down and offer curbside pickup.
“I had a customer ask why he can wander around Walmart for two hours but he can’t come into my store for two minutes,” Reid wondered.
Other businesses in the area, like Sully’s Auto Spa, have been deemed essential but have still seen a drop in sales.
“To get a car detailed is not a top priority,” noted Rob Ferguson, owner of Sully’s.
Ferguson has had to lay off some employees at his business, as he often sees just one customer per day.
Part of the issue, Ferguson says, is the lack of information available to the public as to what is and is not open.
“Every customer who calls has asked if we are open,” he said. “Nobody seems to want to do anything because there’s no information about every little business in town.”
Select few businesses have been able to adapt to the lockdown, operating as they normally would.
Burrow’s Country Store and Garden Centre is deemed as an essential business as it sells farm feed. Debbie Hudson, co-owner of Burrows, says business has not been drastically impacted by the pandemic, which puts her in a tough spot.
“We’re kind of caught between a rock and a hard place,” she explained. “There’s nothing worse than saying ‘come on down’ when some people can’t.”
Hudson says the sale of seeds has been popular the last couple of weeks in addition to the essential items her business sells. Even though people are allowed to come to her store, Hudson says it doesn’t feel the same as it normally would.
“Even though we don’t have a lot to complain about, there’s definitely a difference in the way that people are shopping because of the lockdown,” she said. “It’s just not the same as being open and advertising and having people come on in. We feel that we shouldn’t really be encouraging people to go out shopping.”
Hudson adds she feels for the businesses that aren’t able to open, and tries to refer customers when she can.
The region will remain in lockdown until at least February 22 as a spike in COVID-19 cases seen last week pushed back the area’s reopening.
For business-owners like Rob Ferguson, he is optimistic things will pick up once the region does reopen.
“I know in this business, the future is bright,” he said. “At the end of the year, we probably won’t notice this even happened.”
For Randy Reid, he knows his business will not be able to take the lockdown restrictions much longer.
“I have a very loyal customer base, most of them are good friends now. If it wasn’t for them, I’d be out of business,” he said. “I can realistically say if this goes on much more, I won’t be here in the springtime.”
