Businesses survive COVID-19 pandemic, but what comes next?

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With Alberta set to lift COVID-19 restrictions in July, local businesses are starting to look at what it’s going to take to rebuild their businesses, having survived the pandemic.

For many small business owners, the survival of their business came down to doing everything from finding additional employment, exploring new ideas and services, and maintaining a loyal customer base.

Margaret Vinns, owner of Margaret’s Place, said she’s seen her fair share of ups and downs from the fluctuating states of reopening, but ultimately it was her returning customers that kept her business going.

“I have a few loyal customers that do come back, so that’s been helping; it’s been keeping me afloat,” she said. “When I was closed, I did have people phone in and ask me when I was opening and when I was coming back. Even though I’m a tiny place, people still wanted to know what was going on.”

For others, including Natalie and John Hilton-O’Brien – owners of Hob’s Hobbies, keeping their doors open was an investment.

The business “has not made money because nobody could come in and play games and most of our business is tabletop games,” said Natalie. “People come in and play games and socialize.

“At one point we had our business to a point where we were making profits, and now we have to start from scratch again like it’s a new business. All the five years we put in it – gone.”

Meanwhile, Vinns explained her game plan moving forward is to hold steady and keep her business going as usual, potentially bringing new items to her menu and advertising on social media.

She added she has found some success marketing through Facebook, which has drastically changed the way she does business.

“My business is very small so I can’t advertise on a big scale. Obviously if I get bigger, I will go big but at the moment, my place is (too) small to advertise in a big way.”

For the Hilton-O’Briens, it’s the social aspect of their community they believe will keep them moving forward and keep the doors open.

“We’re going to start having events as we’re allowed to, so we’ll be having times for people to come in and play games,” said John. “We’ll be doing a little bit of advertising as much as we can afford to, and that’s pretty much that.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said in a roundtable interview that many of the financial supports made available to small businesses during the course of the pandemic will likely continue until local economies begin to stabilize. 

“I’m anticipating that many of those supports will continue right into the fall, and we’ll listen to small businesses; if something more needs to be done, we’ll respond to that,” he said. “For those that are struggling, we want to make sure they get through what’s left of this.”

Kenney added he expects many federal supports to also continue, including the commercial rent assistance program and the wage subsidy program, which are co-funded by the province.

Setting aside competition and helping each other to survive has also been a shared sentiment between local business owners. 

Both the Hilton-O’Briens and Vinns attest it’s played a large part in making sure they were able to once again open their doors.

“We do have to stick together. In small towns, we have to stick together to survive,” said Vinns. “It’ll be nice if we can stay instead of vanishing. I’d like to stay a bit longer. It’s like my little corner of the world.”