Amherst firms see business plunge amid COVID
AMHERST — It’s a year Adrian Bligh would just as soon forget.
Bligh, who owns Birkinshaw’s Tea Room in Amherst with his wife Eleanor Bradbury, survived the impact of last spring’s COVID-19 lockdown and saw hope when reduced restrictions over the summer saw his numbers rebound.
Now, with new restrictions on crossing the border from New Brunswick, he’s afraid his business is going into survival mode.
“Last week we had four customers,” said Bligh. “It’s not sustainable. We have days when we don’t see a customer and we do have some days when we’re busy. We’re adapting.”
Bligh said at least 75 per cent of his customer base is from New Brunswick while he also has a number of customers from the Halifax area who come to Amherst for a day-long excursion that includes tea.
While things slid faster when Halifax and Moncton returned to a near lockdown state, and when New Brunswick re-imposed isolation requirements on people entering the province, Bligh said his numbers really began to drop when both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick imposed the wearing of masks by people entering businesses in both provinces.
He’s frustrated the restrictions have done little to control the spread of the virus and more to increase fear and uncertainty among customers.
Since tougher restrictions were announced for Halifax, Bligh said he lost nearly 30 bookings for afternoon tea — with the majority of those potential customers coming from HRM.
‘TERRIFIED TO GO OUT’
He said it’s difficult to estimate how many others decided against calling to book a tea out of fear.
“I had a booking for a party of four for Dec. 29. They called the other day to cancel it. I asked if they meant Nov. 29 because Dec. 29 is a month away. The person told me they were terrified to go out. Here we are five weeks before a booking and people are cancelling because they are that scared,” Bligh said. “I blame (New Brunswick Premier) Blaine Higgs and (Dr. Robert) Strang for this. They’re created so much fear in people that’s disproportionate to the actual situation.”
He understands the need to take “sensible precautions” but feels sounding the alarm the way they have has done little more than increase fear.
He doesn’t see things improving any time soon.
“Not on this side of Christmas. We’re planning that this is going to continue until March or April,” Bligh said.
CAR BUSINESS STALLS
Mike Allen, president and dealer principle of the Allen Auto Group in Amherst, said the new restrictions in New Brunswick have returned his dealerships to where they were at the height of last spring’s lockdown.
“Our service customers from southeastern New Brunswick are not allowed to cross the border and service their vehicles. Otherwise, if they come over, they will have to self-isolate when they return to New Brunswick.”
Allen said sales customers can’t come over either, requiring sales people to do everything remotely and to demonstrate and deliver vehicles directly to the customer’s home in New Brunswick.
“Both governments have acknowledged they do not want to hurt business on either side of the border. Nova Scotia honours this by allowing business to come into the province and by allowing its citizens to cross-border shop in New Brunswick without having to self-isolate,” he said. “However, with Blaine Higgs requiring all of his province’s citizens, who live in border communities like Sackville, to self-isolate if they leave and cross-border shop for essential services they have essentially stopped all business from happening.”
TEA ROOM CUTS BACK
Despite his company’s challenges, Bligh is committed to his employees and doesn’t intend to lay anyone off. He has reduced the hours of both the tea room and the B Ready takeout business and he has made some changes to the menu.
“You just have to cut back,” he said. “We’ve adjusted the menu in that there are less items you have to sell quickly or don’t have an exit plan for.”
One thing he has done has stepped up production for its market days in Moncton. For now, he is still able to go to the Moncton market weekly. While fewer people are attending the market, he said they are buying more.
However, he knows a hard closure of the border — something that would happen if southeastern New Brunswick went from Orange to Red — would be the final straw.
“If that happens, we’re done,” said Bligh. “We would have to close.”
Bligh said he has looked at the possibility of moving to the Truro market, but said it would be very difficult because of the distance from Amherst as well as the cost of the Cobequid Pass. It would also be difficult because he would be starting from scratch.
One initiative Birkinshaw’s has taken to make up for lost business is to increase its delivery service to customers in the Moncton, Truro and Halifax areas with a number of Christmas cakes, Yule logs, mince pies and more, as well as a Christmas Show You Care package.