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Mariposa Market owner explains 'difficult decision' to shut down

Mariposa Market, Eclectic Café decided to close shop before ordered to do so; 'I felt we had to take the lead on this as opposed to waiting on a politician to do it'
2019-03-24 Mariposa Market anniversary 1
Mariposa Market is shown in this file photo. Mehreen Shahid/Village Media

Bob Willsey didn’t wait for the order to come down from the government before shuttering his busy downtown Orillia shop Monday.

During the days prior, the Mariposa Market owner had been pondering his next steps as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread, but something struck Willsey on Monday.

“As the morning went on, it felt very different,” he said, unable to put a finger on what exactly was different.

He tuned in to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s news conference that afternoon.

“I was really hoping for an outright closure of anything that wasn’t considered an essential service,” Willsey said.

It wasn’t long before he realized that wasn’t going to be the case. With the prime minister still speaking, Willsey made his decision.

“To protect my staff and customers, I felt we had to take the lead on this as opposed to waiting on a politician to do it,” he said. “I thought, ‘Let’s just do it now.’ I could not live with myself if there was someone who walked in who was a carrier. We’re a busy spot and we have an obligation. It was a difficult decision.”

About 70 staff members, most of whom are full-time, are now out of work. While it was a tough day, “my staff was quite exceptional,” Willsey said.

“They’re understanding of the situation. The more drastic action you take at the start, it pays dividends later on.”

Willsey gave his employees first dibs on the store’s perishable food.

Melanie Robinson also sent her staff home with care packages containing food when she decided to close her downtown restaurant, Eclectic Café, on Monday, and she donated some of the remaining goods to the Lighthouse shelter.

Her three part-time and three full-time employees handled the news “as well as expected,” she said, adding it was a tough call.

“I was riding it out, seeing the progression (of the virus). For me, it was about taking action with my staff so they can get Employment Insurance as soon as possible,” Robinson said. “This is uncharted territory. We should be smart and take extreme measures to fight it.”

The province announced Tuesday that dining in at restaurants would be prohibited, restricting them to takeout and delivery, but Robinson isn’t willing to take any chances.

“That’s still exposing my staff, not being safe in their own environments,” she said.

She hopes Trudeau’s announcement today reveals some relief for small businesses.

“I have to take a hit now. This is our first year in business and there’s no back-up fund. We’re still paying off our debts,” she said.

In the meantime, she encourages people to support businesses by purchasing gift cards.

“It’s not going to benefit us when we open the doors, but this is the time we need it,” she said. “We have such an amazing community in Orillia. I hope we all support each other.”


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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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