Opening the door to mixed reactions
Retailers relish green light to reopen, but some say safety, depleted stock holding them back
For the first time in eight weeks Tuesday, a relieved Larry Rosen was able to welcome customers into his company’s flagship menswear store on Bloor St.
The chair and CEO of the Harry Rosen chain founded by his father Harry, was pleased with what he saw as Ontario’s economy slowly opens up from COVID-related restrictions. All retailers with a street-front door were allowed to open, as were pet groomers and construction sites. There were mixed results, with some retailers being caught off-guard by the province’s announcement last week that they could open today. For Rosen, it was promising. “There’s a lot of pent-up demand. It’s been an encouraging start,” said Rosen, who had three Ontario stores open Tuesday. Along with Bloor Street, his store at Mississauga’s Square One, and the Harry Rosen outlet store at Mississauga’s Heartland Town Centre also opened.
Some customers might have also gotten a little nudge from early sale prices on spring merchandise at the high-end store.
“We’ve done some discounting earlier than we’d usually want to, to help bring people in,” Rosen said.
The store openings followed a now-familiar pattern for Rosen, whose location in Winnipeg reopened two weeks ago, followed by openings in B.C. and Alberta last week. Eight of 20 Harry Rosen stores are now open across the country. There are hand-sanitizing stations everywhere, staff members in masks and social-distancing guidelines. If there are any returns, or clothes tried on but not purchased? They go straight into quarantine for 24 hours.
“We’re getting pretty experienced at this now. We’re confident we’re following all the guidelines when it comes to the health and safety of our associates and customers,” Rosen said. The other 12 Harry Rosen stores across the country, including Toronto locations at the Eaton Centre and Sherway Gardens, are still not allowed to open. In some cases, that’s because they’re in provinces where retailers are still closed. In Ontario, that’s because they’re inside malls and don’t have a door opening onto the street.
“We’re ready to go as soon as we’re allowed. But I’ve got complete confidence in the health experts and our governments. When it’s safe for malls to reopen, they’ll say so,” Rosen said.
At his Yonge and York Mills dog-grooming shop Tuesday, Andrew Bulloch could barely find time to sit down.
“The phone’s been ringing off the hook. The next few weeks are going to be crazy,” said Bulloch, the sound of electric clippers buzzing away in the background.
“We have some clients who bring their dogs in every week, so they’re just incredibly relieved,” said Bulloch, whose shop had been open for curbside pickup of pet supplies, something which usually represents just 10 per cent of his revenue.
Still, not everyone allowed to open was letting customers through the door just yet. For some, it was a matter of safety or getting staff back on the payroll. For others, it was simply a matter of having new stock.
At the Silver Snail comic store near Yonge and Dundas, owner Brian Hamelin said he won’t be opening up until May 27. Hamelin last got a shipment of new comics March 25.
“The entire comic industry shut down for two months, so we haven’t had any new stock in for a while,” Hamelin said. He would have been open this Wednesday if he’d had more notice, Hamelin added.
“They announced it Thursday, and by then it was too late to get our order in for this week. A bit more notice would have helped for sure,” Hamelin said, adding that it won’t quite be business as usual even next week. The random browsing that comic fans love to do as the new arrivals come in every Wednesday is a thing of the past, Hamelin said.
“People won’t be able to leaf through and then put it back on the shelf. It won’t be quite the same experience that people have been used to,” Hamelin said. For Marion Layland, who runs Little Party Shoppe near Yonge and Eglinton with her sister Linda, the issue isn’t lack of stock. Instead, it’s a matter of safety.
“We opened up for curbside last week, and that’s how we’re going to be doing business for a while. It just isn’t worth risking the health of my staff or customers,” Layland said.
Still, at least one part of her business was booming, Layland said. “The phones have been going crazy with people ordering balloons. People are ready to celebrate something,” Layland said.