Local store owners have had to find new methods to serve the public to ensure their doors can remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For small businesses, not just for Morgantown but for everywhere, on a good day we are all struggling to get by,” said Shannon Dowling, owner of River Fair Trade. “Being closed is really going to impact people, and we aren’t even going to know the implications of that for a long time yet to come.”
River Fair Trade is one of many shops offering alternatives ways to purchase items, including curbside pickup, and local delivery and shipping. Many of the store’s products can now be found on its website — riverfairtrade.com.
Dowling said keeping the website updated with every product has been challenging, as it was never something she used in the past.
“I am trying to project mentally and emotionally the best-case scenarios and do what I can to continue to offer my customers the best customer service,” Dowling said.
Dowling is not the only shop in Morgantown that has had to look for alternatives.
Stephanie Swaim, owner of Hoot and Howl, also offers local delivery, curbside pickup and has spent days listing every product in the store on her website — shophootandhowl.com.
“You don’t want people to forget about you or think you are not open,” Swaim said.
Swaim said because some of the small businesses in the area do not have employees, it disqualifies them from receiving stimulus funding to help keep them running.
Because the shop remains open, she said she also does not qualify for unemployment.
“It is important for people to understand that we are still here,” Swaim said. “We are just like them; we are in the community, too, and we are still trying to pay our rent and keep the electric going.”
Chris DeFazio, co-owner of Morgantown Brewing Co., said the restaurant has been taking precautions to make sure all areas are sanitized for the safety of their customers.
The restaurant is offering curbside pickup, and beer delivery services right to locals’ doorsteps. Although delivering alcohol was previously illegal, amidst the pandemic, the state passed a bill to allow for it.
“West Virginia is usually pretty behind on modernizing alcohol legislation, but we recently got that passed,” DeFazio said. “It’s a pretty big deal.”
DeFazio said the public has been supportive of the business; however, because the restaurant is unable to deliver the same experience patrons receive when visiting, sales have decreased drastically.
“At the end of the day, we sell an experience,” DeFazio said. “We can’t really give people that experience in the same way that we normally would.”
Anthony Colasante, owner of Colasante’s Ristorante and Pub, said business is down to about
30% to 40% of what it was prior to the pandemic.
This has caused the restaurant to have limited shifts for its employees. He said he has tried to distribute shifts equally to keep as many people employed as possible
Colasante said safety precautions are being taken, including having all workers wear masks and practice social distancing to the highest extent possible. Because of the limited supplies available, Colasante said he and his wife have had to make their own hand sanitizer.
The restaurant has seen an increase in sales of larger, family-style dinners. He said it is nice to know families are at least enjoying dinner together, which is something he believes doesn’t happen often enough.
“In the past, we have seen fathers come in with their sons after baseball and mothers come in with their daughters after cheerleading or softball, but now I think everyone is eating together,” Colasante said. “Today’s world is so fast-paced that everybody is going every direction until now.”
As residents remain in quarantine and travel is limited, Susan Riddle, president and CEO of Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau, said tourism has suffered greatly.
Riddle said the CVB has many ways for residents to still enjoy everything the state has to offer. She said this includes ideas for scenic drives offered on its website — visitmountaineercountry.com.
“People need to get outside and see something more than their own four walls,” Riddle said. “There are resources there that should help people so they get through this difficult time.”
As residents continue to adjust to a new way of life, Riddle said it is up to everyone to work together and ensure those around them stay safe.
“It’s up to all of us to work together to make our communities and our region and our locations safe spaces,” Riddle said. “We all have to be more aware of how our individual actions can impact others.”
By Gabriella Brown
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