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New Westminster businesses adapting in response to COVID-19 crisis

Many local businesses are taking a famous provern – necessity is the mother of invention – to heart.
River Market COVID-19

Many local businesses are taking a famous provern – necessity is the mother of invention – to heart.

While some businesses are closing their doors temporarily during the COVID-19 crisis, others are trying to find ways to adapt and be cognizant of social distancing and the requirements regarding the number of people permitted in a space at any given time.

Bosley’s by Pet Valu at Columbia Square is taking steps to continue serving people and meeting public health guidelines. In addition to restricting the number of people in the store at any given time so they’re at least one to two metres apart, the store is also offering delivery and pickup options.

At River Market, several shops, including Cosy Yarns, Origins Chocolate Bar, One Thing Lockets, Bunches and Blooms and Ninja Bubble Tea, are taking order and will deliver or ship items.

Some businesses, like Champagne Taste Home, are open by appointment only on specific days.

Mila+Page, a clothing shop on Columbia Street, has added more items to its online shop and has started offering free local delivery.

Lee Brooks, owner of View 360 Insurance Advisory, has made some changes to his company in response to COVID-19.
“All of our employees were sent home. We created a virtual system to do virtual client meetings and for all of us to work separately,” he said. “We basically moved our businesses to virtual online meetings.”

While his company has held virtual online meetings and presentations with some clients in the past, it’s not something it’s normally done with local clients. He suspects his company will find a “new balance” once the coronavirus scare has passed.

 “It has actually transformed our business. We anticipate even after the virus scare is minimized we will be doing a lot more client meetings just so we are not in traffic and burning fossil fuels and wasting time,” he said. “We will be doing a lot more virtual meetings.”

(Note: Changes to businesses are taking place on a daily basis during the COVID-19 crisis, so be sure to check with local business to ensure their hours and services haven’t’ changed.)