BACK TO BUSINESS
Capital Region retailers welcome start of reopening phase of recovery
CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. » After a challenging couple months, New York state is starting to reopen and Capital Region retailers are ready to get back to business.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York State on PAUSE executive order closed many of the region’s small businesses over the past several weeks, some retail shops recently reopened for curbside pickup.
This curbside concept, a new offering for many stores, was permitted as part of Phase 1 of the governor’s regional reopening plan, which began on Wednesday, May 20 in the eight-county Capital Region.
While essential retail businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations remained open, thousands of retailers that were not deemed essential lost the majority of their revenue stream during the early stages of the state’s pause.
This change was most visibly apparent in the Capital Region’s downtown districts of cities like Saratoga Springs and Troy. These business-filled neighborhoods typically bustling with pedestrian shoppers in the springtime instead have had empty sidewalks and closed signs hanging in store windows.
Local business leaders and entrepreneurs look forward to
the increased spending that is expected along with the region’s phased reopening getting underway.
Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association president Deann Devitt said Phase 1 beginning is great news that the area is starting to move in the right direction.
Devitt described how the pandemic has affected the downtown business community in Saratoga Springs.
“Initially the retailers completely shut sales down, but as the duration of the lockdown lengthened, many were forced to pivot towards online sales,” she said. “Using social media creatively, retailers were able to boost awareness of their products and sales giving them the ability to at least stay afloat while their doors were closed.
“So Phase 1 and curbside pickup will certainly help these efforts.”
Despite the difficulties COVID-19 had brought upon local businesses, “The amount of community support our retailers and restaurants have received through this, is just a reminder of how strong our community is,” Devitt said. “We truly are ‘stronger together!’”
Support is coming from local government too.
In the Saratoga Springs City Council’s most recent meeting, council members unanimously voted to adopt a resolution in support of the city’s businesses. Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton presented this resolution to the council after noticing conversation around the idea that public health is in competition with the economy.
“It was really concerning for me and our department because we just love our downtown businesses, and all of our small businesses, and we want them to know that they are supported by us,” she said. “The only way that we see this moving forward is for both public health and the economy to thrive and win together — not one or the other competing.”
The resolution referred to the local businesses as the foundation of the city’s economy and identity. “As we move toward a safe, phased reopening we must provide business owners, their employees and their customers with the security and confidence they need, and the encouragement to move forward.”
In discussing the new resolution, Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan said the city is only as successful as its small businesses are.
“When they make money, we make money,” Madigan said.
Alternatively, “When they’re not thriving, we’re clearly not thriving,” she said, mentioning the city’s recent decline in sales tax revenue. “We really do thrive on unique, specialty downtown stores - and they are suffering. So I’m pleased about the reopening … and I look forward to them getting a little breathing room.”
Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco spoke in support of the resolution as well, calling small businesses “the economic engine that keeps things moving in the city.”
Dalton agreed. “I think it’s really important for us, as a city, to stand hand in hand with our business community and say, when we’ve gone through these phases, that we’re reopen for business and people can come downtown and shop and eat and drink and feel confident about their safety while they’re doing it,” she said.
Looking ahead, Devitt said staying on target during the phased reopening is crucial to the continued success of the Spa City’s downtown businesses.
In the Collar City, members of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District are facing similar challenges.
All of the district’s businesses have been affected in some way, BID director
Katie Hammon said, noting that retail, food and beverage, personal service, hospitality, arts and entertainment businesses have been hit much harder due to the nature of their business structure.
“Since many of these industries are gatherers of people providing experiences for people to connect and engage, they are required to pivot their model to remain relevant in a virtual, physically distanced world,” she shared. “We have an incredibly resilient business community that has been able to innovate and reinvent themselves daily, however with inconsistent income it is a struggle for many businesses to keep up with their monthly expenses.
“Loans and grants, as well as support from the community has been necessary to sustain businesses throughout this time and additional funding remains a need as this return to ‘normal’ will be a lengthy journey.”
She continued, “Businesses have been forced to think outside the box and more often than not, throw the box out altogether. They continue to build new structures and processes to sustain through this incredibly difficult period in our history.”
To help these businesses, the BID provides guidance through a COVID-19 resource page on its website including state guidelines and reopening best practices for different industries, while connecting businesses with funding resources and other industryspecific resources.
The organization has partnered with fellow BIDs from around the Capital Region and the state to brainstorm ways to support their business communities and re-engage their downtowns in safe ways.
“We have found great value in partnering with other organizations and businesses and creating opportunities for the business community to connect over common needs and goals,” Hammon said.
In addition to her role as the BID’s director, Hammon is the co-chair of the Economic Development Pandemic Response Committee of Rensselaer County and chair for the Community Activation Subcommittee.
The efforts of these organizations include working to understand business impact and need, connecting businesses with necessary resources, convening businesses and organizations around common industry needs, building out processes for businesses to utilize public space for increased capacity when reopened, and - when the timing is right - creating programming to activate downtowns and main streets throughout the county in safe, physically distanced ways.
As the Capital Region starts to reopen, Hammon emphasized the importance of safety compliance by both businesses and customers.
“Reopening with intentional phases is an important step in allowing our businesses to recover from PAUSE while reacting to changes in our regional counts,” she said. “In order to continue progress in reducing the spread of the virus, it is extremely important that businesses and patrons follow CDC and state guidelines.
“With information changing daily, businesses will stay informed of changes and request that patrons follow guidelines themselves. Everyone must do their part to ensure our economy remains open and is not set back by additional spikes in the virus count.”
As part of the state’s requirements for reopening, each individual business must develop a written safety plan outlining how its workplace will prevent the spread of COVID-19. Companies can fill out a template provided by
the state, or write their own safety plan.
This plan does not need to be submitted to a state agency for approval but must be retained on the premises of the business and must be made available to the New York State Department of Health or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection.
In a letter to Troy residents as the reopening phase was about to begin, Mayor Patrick Madden stressed safety as the region entered Phase 1.
“Remember: reopening our regional economy can begin because of the actions we’ve all taken during the last two months,” Madden said. “We followed precautions and practiced social distancing. We wore masks and washed our hands. We avoided large gatherings and stayed home to reduce the spread of the virus.
“However, the ability to stay open is dependent on keeping the infection rate down. Critical to doing that is maintaining practices to continue to protect public health, prevent the overwhelming of local hospitals, support our local businesses, and ensure the Capital Region can proceed to Phase 2.
“Stay safe, be smart, wear a mask, and take care of each other.”
Local entrepreneur Heidi West created a consolidated Business Precautions Plan for her three downtown Saratoga Springs apparel-based retail stores Lifestyles of Saratoga, Caroline & Main and Union Hall Supply Company. The plan, reviewed by an attorney, is based on guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Retail Federation.
“It’s pretty intensive. It’s a really comprehensive plan,” West said.
“Safety is our main priority, for employees, clients, and the community,” West said in a post on Facebook sharing the plan and welcoming any fellow small businesses to use it as well, noting that the goal is for all to “open safe and open smart together.”
Many aspects of the plan, including redesigned sales floors, sneeze-guards installed at checkout counters and shortened store hours to allow for nightly deep cleanings, are for when instore retail is reopened in Phase 2.
“The minute that my doors closed I started the process of figuring out what it’s going to look like when we open,” West said.
“I’m going to play it very safe and very careful,” West continued, sharing that her stores’ reopening to the public will start with oneon-one appointments.
While income is critical to any business, what many local shop owners are missing most throughout the pandemic is interacting with their patrons.
“I just cannot wait to be open again and be able to see my customers,” West said. “Boy, do I miss the people.”
Downtown Troy business owner Bianca Dupuis of The Broken Mold Studio has kept busy creating in her studio solo, but is eager to bring students back for instruction, which will take place in the fourth and final phase of reopening.
For this small business, the COVID-19 pandemic catalysed a full studio renovation that increased its size to allow for more space between visitors. It also sparked the idea for a new take-home clay kit offering.
Furthermore, the situation gave Dupuis more time to focus on her own work than she’s had since she started the studio 14 years ago.
“It’s been a change that’s been positive,” she said, “but I can’t wait to get back to the student portion of my day.”
Robin McDonough, owner of The Counties of Ireland in downtown Troy and Molly Malone’s Irish
Gifts in Lake George, feels the same.
“I miss my customers. I miss them coming in, even if it’s just to have a chit chat,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to Phase 2 when we can actually let people back in the store,” McDonough said, feeling confident in her stores’ safety plans. “I’m ready to open my doors to customers.
“I’m just waiting for them to say ‘Go!’”