One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. Two days later, the City of Orillia declared a state of emergency that still exists.
For Orillia's business community, it's been a year of fear and uncertainty, of adapting and then adapting again and, for almost everyone, cutting back and laying off staff.
After 365 long, often dark days and three lockdowns, the locally owned Orillia businesses that have managed to survive are still learning how to navigate through a a pandemic.
Retail sector
Last March, city councillor and co-owner of CC Fashions in downtown Orillia, Ralph Cipolla, says he remembers asking his wife Diane how they were going to survive if the province was put into a lockdown. Little did he know that there would be three lockdowns of various degrees in the coming year.
“We had close to $300,000 worth of inventory to sell and we didn’t know how we were going to survive,” he said.
CC Fashions has struggled to get new inventory during the pandemic because of manufacturing delays, they had to lay off their part-time staff, and sales dipped by 70 to 80 percent some months.
“It’s been really tough. We had substantial losses during the lockdowns, but we are now going into our 50th year, so I think we will survive,” Cipolla said.
CC Fashions has been able to survive the pandemic thanks to their ability to re-invent themselves, said Cipolla.
“The government came through with a few grants, but we really had to be aggressive and had to think outside the box to think about what we can do to bring customers to our location and bring them back to shopping locally,” Cipolla explained.
CC Fashions has seen relying on social media and online platforms during the pandemic; they also began to offer free in-town delivery and free curbside pick-up.
“I think the old way of doing business is gone. Before the pandemic we had very little online presence if any,” Cipolla said.
Cipolla also credits the people of Orillia for keeping local businesses like his alive during the darkest points of the pandemic.
“My wife and I really want to thank the people of Orillia. As both a retailer and a councillor, thank you for supporting the local community,” he said.
“Thank you for not only shopping local but for also supporting the food bank and other (agencies that) help people who can’t afford to do things through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
While the worst seems to have passed, CC Fashions is still facing pandemic-related issues such as getting products from suppliers. Cipolla speculates that it’s still going to be a while before business can go back to usual.
“I think the pandemic isn’t going to be over for a long time still, probably in late 2021 or the middle of 2022,” he said.
“Even when the pandemic is over it might take people some time to get back to shopping.”
Restaurant industry
Local restaurants have also been hit hard by the pandemic.
St. Louis Bar and Grill owner Brad Watters vividly remembers the last moments of what could be considered "normal life."
“It was the day before St. Patrick’s Day, and I remember taking a look at the bar, a look at the people sitting down because it was busy, and I said this ends tomorrow, this is over,” Watters recalls.
Watters says running a local business during the pandemic has been not only challenging but also exhausting.
“From laying off the staff a couple of times, to dealing with rules and regulations that are new to the industry, it’s been hard. We are still trying to provide a good customer satisfaction relationship, and the rules don’t always go together with what your objectives are,” he said.
“Everybody is under stress because of COVID, and at the end of the day we’ve been trying to provide a safe environment for people to have a bit of a social interaction, which is what everyone has been lacking," he explained.
When life returns to some form of normalcy, Watters believes some might look back on the pandemic as a life-altering event that was mishandled by the government.
“People are going to ask the question of how did Walmart and Costco stay open while the small businesses were the first ones to be blamed for spreading the virus,” he said.
“I invested thousands of dollars in PPE, I’ve provided a safe environment, I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to, and every time there is a new issue the hardest hit industries are restaurants and the small businesses.”
Watters feels that the restaurant industry has become a “scapegoat” during the pandemic.
“I feel the restaurant industry has been a target since Day 1 with no scientific background to show why. It’s had harsh ramifications on our business, we haven’t been open at even 50 percent capacity for almost 80 percent of the year,” he said.
Watters notes that revenue in 2020 was down at least 60 percent compared to 2019 and he’s unsure if anything will improve in 2021.
“If we go back to the green zone, restaurants are still going to have to social distance, which means we will have to go back to operating at 60 percent occupancy,” he explained.
“Restaurants will have to wait for the whole grid to clear before they can go back to their liquor licence number, and how long will that be? I think it will be pretty close to next summer," he lamented.
This summer St. Louis Bar and Grill will be able to seat up to 70% occupancy on their patio, which Watters hopes will give them a boost.
“I hope we can have a good long summer and we can just go outside, which we did last year, but it’s reliant on weather,” he said.
Personal Care Services
Personal care services such as nail and spa salons have also suffered during the year-long COVID-19 pandemic.
The owner of Ashley’s Nail & Spa, Ashley H., says she wasn’t surprised when the initial lockdown shut down her business.
“I wasn’t shocked actually, I just didn’t want to believe that they were going to do that,” she said.
Ashley says she has been skeptical of the COVID-19 pandemic right from the beginning.
“I don’t believe it, and it’s just literally a big hoax lie,” she said.
“From the beginning when you start the lie, the lie goes on top of the lie and it makes the people in fear ... that’s all that happens right now.”
While Ashley didn’t provide OrilliaMatters with specific numbers, she says her Memorial Avenue business has lost “a lot” of revenue due to the lockdowns.
“It’s going to be very hard when you specifically have to play this political game, it’s stupid,” she said.
Despite Ashley’s frustrations with the pandemic, she is hopeful for a better year ahead.
“Because of my life experience I have seen a lot, so there is always hope,” she said.
Tourism
Since mid-March of 2020, Casino Rama has been shuttered and the plug has been pulled on live entertainment and that has had a negative impact on local tourism, officials say.
Orillia and Lake Country Tourism executive director, Kris Puhvel, says the nature of tourism has completely changed over the past year.
“The stay-at-home orders, the lockdowns, people were not allowed to travel which really changed the focus of our mandate,” he said.
Orillia and Lake Country Tourism traditionally promoted to the external market, inviting people to visit the local region. Once the pandemic began shutting down the tourism industry, Puhvel and his team had to make a change.
“We pivoted to promoting everything we have here to the local residents, and we made it really clear to them as to how important it is to support our local shops, our local restaurants, and our outdoor recreation facilities to help them navigate the crisis,” Puhvel said.
The pandemic, he said, has changed the landscape of the tourism industry.
“It’s definitely been very challenging for our tourism operators. Through the lockdowns there have been lots of ups and downs," said Puhvel. "Some of our operators who cater to outdoor activities have managed to adapt, whereas those event-based operators have definitely seen much larger struggles.”
Currently, tourist destinations such as ski hills are beginning to find their footing after regulations were changed to allow them to operate.
“Our outdoor activities really are one of our strong suits, and they seem to be activities that are safe to engage in,” Puhvel said.
“If last summer was any indication, people will be seeking out our outdoor activities. When people do come here we are working to provide them with all the necessary information to do it safely, and always keeping into consideration the well-being of our local residents," he told OrilliaMatters.
While things are still looking bleak for some tourism destinations, Puhvel anticipates a bright future ahead.
“Moving forward, I anticipate travel trends will favour hyper-local and 'staycations' as people will be looking to travel within their region and province to enjoy all those things that they missed,” he said.
“Our region with its varied natural and cultural attractions, small-town charm, and welcoming accommodations will no doubt be an attractive destination,” he speculated.
Puhvel is also confident that local destinations will once again be able to welcome visitors from outside of the region, hopefully as soon as this summer.
“We’re optimistic with the vaccine program and numbers holding steady, we are optimistic that things will get better and we will be able to encourage people to once again visit,” he said.
"Hopefully we can return to some sort of normalcy later in the summer and into the fall.”
