ST. PAUL - Rolling with the punches that the COVID-19 pandemic keeps on delivering in 2020, St. Paul businesses owners and managers appear relieved the province didn’t shut down retail and restaurants altogether in the midst of the Christmas shopping season.
However, the declaration of a public health state of emergency last week brought with it a new round of enhanced mandatory restrictions on a number of levels and new challenges for businesses. While most retail stores can remain open for business, capacity at any one time is limited to 25 per cent of a business’s occupancy under the Alberta Fire code. This includes everything from grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware, automotive and clothing to farmer’s markets.
Movie theatres, libraries, bingo halls are also limited to 25 per cent capacity. Indoor fitness, recreation and sports facilities, including public swimming pools have the additional restriction of not being able to host any group activities.
St. Paul and District Chamber of Commerce president Brent Sandmeyer, controller at Zarowny Motors, said he expects it is somewhat of a relief for the local business community that they can continue to offer their products and services through the Christmas season even with the enhanced restrictions. However, he said navigating the pandemic continues to be stressful on the business community and COVID fatigue among staff is a real thing.
“I’m sure that it is going to be a challenge. I am appreciative the government didn’t shut us all down, that they have given us an opportunity to find a way to at least stay open even if it is at reduced numbers,” he said Friday. “I think customers at this point are understanding that these are decisions that the businesses didn’t make themselves. So far, what I’ve seen today in our store is people are understanding and they’ve been patient with us.”
Sandmeyer said he personally would have preferred a province-wide mask directive enacted to level the playing field for everyone.
“Does seem like we are seeing more and more people wearing their masks even though it’s not a mandate. At the dealership here we have requested that people wear a mask and that if they can’t, that they be cognizant of maintaining a two-meter distance. For the most part, people have been really good about it.”
Florist admits it’s been a struggle
With funerals limited to 10 people in attendance and no grand wedding receptions, florists are among those hardest hit again by last week’s enhanced measures.
“We still need to let people know that they can send flowers. Just because funerals are downsized and less people can go, doesn’t mean flowers are not welcome,” said Alice Herperger, owner of The Jungle. It’s a message she hopes her customers understand.
“The ripple effect is huge for funerals right now. You can’t attend, you can’t gather in people’s homes. People are hurting because they can’t go and say their goodbyes.”
With flowers arriving for a wedding on Saturday that now has to be significantly curtailed, including the bride having to remove members of the wedding party in order to stay within the 10-person limit, Herperger said it makes for a difficult situation.
“In my business we have to pre-order the flowers six weeks ahead and you get those flowers whether you want them or not.”
The success of the Christmas season can make or break a business like a flower shop, with December profits being used for ordering next year’s Valentine’s Day flowers.
“I’m really hoping that if you can’t go see your mom, your dad and grandparents or whatever the case maybe, that you still send maybe a gift of flowers or a gift from the shop – that’s the buy local that we are trying to get out there.”
She’s had to cancel Christmas project workshops booked up until the middle of the month due to the enhanced restrictions, but all the boxes of cedar and pine she ordered for those customer workshops are now sitting in her cooler. She’s hoping she’ll be able to sell some to break even. To add to the stress, Herperger said she is finding her suppliers pushing hard for her to make decisions to purchase product earlier and earlier because they are also hurting.
But, she said she’s unable to look too far into the future at this point and so she will lose out on the special deals being offered.
“I’m so overwhelmed with just trying to keep afloat, to look two months down the road and see what that looks like, I just can’t. … It’s gotten a little crazy. Some days its feast and some days its famine – you just don’t know what you’re going to get.”
Thinking outside of the box
More than anything else, the pandemic has forced business owners to think outside of the box – to come up with new, safe ways of getting their products and services to customers.
Deborah Poulin of The Twisted Fork restaurant said the out of the box thinking will have to come back into play again in light of what the enhanced restrictions are serving up. She said the maximum six people limit at the table is not new, despite the fact that she believes many people weren’t previously aware of that.
However, limiting it further to people only being able to dine together if they are from the same household is a new rule and one she said is something the restaurant industry will have difficulty policing.
“It’s up to the customer to be as honest as possible, but when you’re in a small town you kind of know everybody,” Poulin said. “Reading some of the other stories that have come out from Edmonton and Calgary, they are saying the same thing – it’s not our role to really police that. You have to put that reliance really on the customer.”
Adding another layer to this, and perhaps more confusion, is the allowance for people who live alone being permitted to meet for a meal with two non-household contacts as long as they are the same two for the duration the restrictions in place. It all gets confusing quickly.
Poulin fully expects the enhanced restrictions will result in a fewer people going out to enjoy a meal. So, she’s back to coming up with some innovative ideas to keep customers’ interest in her restaurant. Offering family favourites such as takeaway lasagnas, potpies, gift baskets and hot chocolate kits, among other ways to keep food moving through her restaurant, are on her menu of ideas.
She expects to also be offering up a takeout Christmas lunch for businesses looking for a way to treat their staff this season.
“You’ve got to be creative all the time to keep the doors open.”
