Most local businesses are suffering these days, and many will close permanently as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. These businesses are run by your friends and neighbours, and their loss would change Greater Victoria. This commentary is one of a series of submissions from local business people. For every story told in these pages, there are a thousand more.
A commentary by the president of King Bros. Ltd., a marine agency in downtown Victoria.
My daily lunchtime walks around downtown and the harbour are eerily quiet. They serve as a daily reminder of the impact COVID-19 measures are having on virtually every small business in Victoria.
As a small business owner, employing a staff of 10, I consider myself extremely fortunate in being able to continue reasonably normal operations, meet payroll and cover my operational expenses.
I am acutely aware that this is not the case for so many other small businesses around me, some of which are my clients, some of which I patronize as a customer, and some of whose owners are my friends.
I was heartened to read that Mike Black of Capital Iron has made adjustments to remain open in a limited fashion, and has made pick-up and delivery options available. This business has been a fixture on Store Street for decades; there truly is no store like it. Downtown Victoria would not be the same without it.
I spoke with Tammy Flynn at Catawampus, which has remained open throughout the pandemic. Her wonderfully eclectic shop has been a pleasant sight on Wharf Street for more than 10 years, but she might not survive another month. Again, this would mean the loss of another one-of-a-kind business.
These are just two examples, but there are scores of other retail shops, service providers, cafés, restaurants and pubs, many of whose owners are questioning their ability to reopen and to continue operating in the weeks ahead.
All of these businesses represent the foundation of our downtown core. They are integral to the infrastructure of our community, and they desperately need our support in the coming weeks and months. Many of these small shops are Mom-and-Pop operations without an interactive online presence. Others do have the ability to conduct business, on a limited scale, online.
Please consider supporting those businesses currently operating, and pledge to support those currently closed once they open their doors again.
The strict physical- and social-distancing measures in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus have made us all take stock of our lives, and re-evaluate what is truly important.
In every dark cloud there is a silver lining, and this might be the opportunity to really consider the importance of community. We continue to be extremely grateful for all the front-line health-care workers and essential-service providers and their employees.
Let’s not forget their efforts when things begin to return to normal. Let’s also not forget just how important the myriad small and independent businesses are to the health and vitality of Victoria, and indeed all communities.
As I exhort my staff daily to wash their hands and stay healthy, I now reach out to all Victorians, and indeed all Vancouver Islanders, to commit to supporting local business once restrictions begin to ease, if not before.
They need and deserve our support. One does not have to imagine what our downtown core could look like without these businesses — I am witnessing it first-hand every day.
Let’s hope that most, if not all, can hang on until, once again, they hear the sound of footsteps on their thresholds. That will depend on all of us.
