EASTON, Mass. — Small business owners are anxious to know whether Gov. Charlie Baker will lift any of their restrictions Monday when he announces the state’s phased reopening plan.
“There isn’t really a normal to go back to anymore,” said Melissa Mazzeo, who co-owns Merry Go Rounds in Easton with her mother. “We’ve already kind of spent the last two months adapting.”
Mazzeo has spent the last two months adapting their small business online after temporarily closing the physical doors to Merry Go Rounds on March 16. Her mother has owned the children’s consignment store for 20 years, and now, for the first time, they’ve posted their inventory online and started offering personal shopping services for their customers.
“We’ll either video chat with them or send them photos; they say which ones they want and we’ll do like a local contact-free pickup or even ship it to them,” Mazzeo said.
She says they’re making it work, but they rely heavily on in-person sales.
“When it’s safe, that is so much of where our sales come from,” Mazzeo said. “Also just the enjoyment of the business is being able to interact, so many of our customers feel like family and it’s really sad not being able to interact with them in person.”
That’s why many small business owners are curious to know even an estimated timeline of when face-to-face sales with their customers may be possible.
“What will Phase One be? Which day does it kick in? How many weeks does Phase One go?” asked Jon Hurst, president of the Mass. Retailers Association.
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Hurst is looking forward to seeing whether the governor lifts any restrictions on retailers Monday. He said this could be make-or-break for many mom and pop shops in Massachusetts.
“We have surveyed our 4,000 members and fully, 30% of them came back and said they’re ‘somewhat worried’ to ‘extremely worried’ they may never reopen again if they cannot be open in the month of May,” Hurst said.
He added that Memorial Day weekend is a huge boost to so many retailers in Massachusetts, especially for seasonal summer shops.
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Hurst hopes the governor allows at least curbside pickup options like other states in New England.
“Let’s give them some semblance of hope that they can have an economic future and they can reopen on ‘Main Street’ in Massachusetts,” he said.
Mazzeo said she understands public health and safety come first, but she hopes small businesses will at least get more financial assistance if they have to stay closed for a few more months.
“If it does get that far out, or even further, then I think just additional relief needs to be available,” she said.
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RESOURCES:
- Massachusetts Coronavirus Information
- Boston Coronavirus Information
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