The global COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing lifestyle changes and restrictions have made stark changes to our landscape and lifestyles: No crowds on Sunday at SoWa; most construction sites are quiet; take-out or delivery only at both casual and fine-dining restaurants; shuttered gift shops and gyms; and sidewalks are eerily empty. Since Governor Baker ordered the shutdown of all non-essential businesses on March 23 and issued a stay-at-home advisory for all Bay State residents except for urgent needs, business owners have scrambled to adjust their operations to continue serving customers and staunch the loss of revenue. Some local shops, though stressed themselves, are reaching out to help those in need.
Government response to the pandemic-related economic crisis includes the federal Payroll Protection Program, which provides loans to small businesses that will be forgiven provided recipient businesses retain their staff on payroll, while Boston's Department of Economic Development offers grants to small businesses through the Small Business Relief Fund. Local business groups Washington Gateway Main Street and South End Business Alliance (SEBA) have attempted to address the business slowdown with webinars and other communications offering expert advice and support.
The South End News asked various local businesses about their approaches and concerns in adapting to COVID-19 related limitations.
Café Quattro's pizzas, sandwiches and entrees have been favorites among hungry neighbors, Boston Medical Center staff, and police officers since 2015. Café Quattro chef/owner Evan Butland said that after the shutdown and stay-at-home advisory were announced, his catering business disappeared overnight, resulting in a 25 per cent drop in revenue. Café Quattro responded with a shift to take-out and delivery via Grubhub and retail, selling pantry staples such as coffee, olive oil, cookies, pasta imported from Italy as well as sought-after pandemic staples such as paper towels, toilet paper and vinyl gloves.
Retail items can be ordered at www.cafequattroboston.com for pick-up or delivery. In terms of pandemic-related aid to businesses, Butland has been "applying for everything," and received word that he will receive a grant from the city's Small Business Relief Fund and a loan from the federal Payroll Protection Program That's a Godsend, it's really good news. It's going to keep us going."
A sign in front of the Wine Emporium at 607 Tremont Street boasts, "WE ARE ESSENTIAL! + we are here for you!!" According to general manager and buyer Jenn Shimer, the store's hours are reduced to 11:00 AM-9:00 PM, and it is encouraging on-line orders through drizly.com and phone orders as well as delivery and curbside pickup. For added safety, the Wine Emporium is accepting credit and debit cards and Apple Pay only, no cash. "it has been a challenge to deal with customers that are angry because they do not carry a debit or credit card," Shimer said. Shimer reported no drop in business and has not laid off any staff; in fact, she has the opposite dilemma.
"I wish I could get my staff to work more hours! Most of my staff will not come in because they are too scared of the virus," she observed. Shimer expressed appreciation for her staff's efforts to continue serving the public when keeping apart for safety is being stressed. "I would like for my employees to feel valued and supported for working during this time and risking their health to serve the community," she said.
Since it opened in 2012 at 363 Tremont Street, Boston Veterinary Clinic (BVC) has become a trusted and popular provider, expanding to Brookline with a future addition in the Seaport once the city's COVID-19 related construction stoppage is lifted. Founding veterinarian Dr. Brian Bourquin's practice blends timeless compassion with modern technology to deliver efficient and convenient patient care. BVC has scaled back some of its services, prioritizing emergencies, chronic medical conditions, puppy and kitten visits and vaccines, and deferring routine wellness and some surgeries to May.
Bourquin said that some staff members who are higher-risk for COVID-19 or who have children are doing telemedicine and telephone triage at home, while on-site staff work in two teams, three days each, with a deep cleaning between the teams and on weekends. While Bourquin and his team decided early on against layoffs or furloughs, BVC has reduced hours temporarily for some hourly staff. Bourquin said, "I took an oath as a vet to take care of animals, but I have to weigh that with my team, my family, and my clients. It's easier to see pets right now, but I go home exhausted every night from weighing pros and cons." BVC applied for and received a loan through the PPP program, which has been helpful as BVC has had two brief closures due to COVID-19. "[The loan] really helps. It takes the stress off from having to close."
While challenged themselves by the business downturn, some local businesses have been giving back to the community. On March 31, PICCO chef-owner Rick Katz announced the 1,000 Meals in a Week program, which offered free meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 12:00 noon-3:00 PM targeted at children and families in need.
At the opposite end of the neighborhood, Blunch, 59 E. Springfield Street, has been giving back to BMC staff and first responders first by offering them free coffee with orders and launching a GoFundMe page to provide meals for responders and hospital staff. The GoFundMe, organized by Blunch's Nikki Christo Leo and Erin Russ, raised $13,496 between its March 26 launch and April 16, when it ended. In an April 18 donor update, Leo and Russ announced that they had donated over $10,000 in food to health care workers at BMC and will give the remainder when Blunch reopens. Since early April, Anoush'ella Kitchen has been providing up to 70 free meals per day to South End hospitality workers out of work due to COVID-19. Anoush'ella publicist Christopher B. Haynes reports that while the campaign was originally intended for neighborhood denizens, the restaurant is not verifying addresses to qualify.
"No one is being turned away," he said. As a matter of loyalty, largesse and self-preservation, Haynes himself has continued to promote his clients even after Governor Baker's March 15 order banning gatherings over 25 people and dining in at restaurants. In a telephone interview, Haynes said he had four openings scheduled at the time, all of which were canceled, and he received a flurry of phone calls from clients wanting to discontinue services due to the closures. Haynes contacted clients and offered to continue services, with payment to be arranged down the road. He also contacted print and broadcast media editors, offering a conduit of information to them as well. Haynes said the last three years have been his best ever in his 21 years at the helm of CBH Communications, and he is grateful for his success.
"There have been a lot of ups and downs over the years. The good news is, [the downturn] makes me work really hard. I really love my neighborhood...I reached out in solidarity and said, Let me help." Haynes hopes to shepherd his clients and his own company through the pandemic.
SEBA has been helping businesses learn about useful resources and topics related to COVID-19 business restrictions with a series of webinars with panelists including Hadley Douglas of The Urban Grape, Randi Lathrop of RG Lathrop Consulting, Barbara Clarke of The Impact Seat and Eve Ward of Bond and Des Voeux. Topics included COVID-19 with South End state representatives Aaron Michlewitz and Jon Santiago; COVID and Employment Law with attorneys Jeff Rosin, Jill Havens and Matthew Fogelman; and small business relief aid with representatives of the accounting firm Waldron H. Rand & Company. WGMS has also been sending daily email updates on COVID-19 related information and resources.
The Mayor's Department of Economic Development's Small Business Relief Fund offered grants of $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000 to businesses with up to 35 employees to cover payroll, accounts payable, debt, and losses resulting from the COVID-19 emergency. Locally, the Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association (B/FSNA) sent 30 lunches from Code 10 to the D-4 police Station at 650 Harrison Avenue, and Code 10 added snacks to the order on April 14. According to treasurer Matthew Mues, B/FSNA also used proceeds of its successful Christmas tree and wreath sale to donate $2,500 to South End Feeds, a SEBA partnership with OffTheirPlates.org to provide restaurant meals to front-line workers during the COVID-19 emergency.
Bill Lagorio, owner/manager of Maison de Mer, which sells imported French-country style household furnishings and accessories at 23 Dartmouth Street, was sanguine in a recent phone interview despite having to close during the shutdown, after having endured a closure last year due to a serious illness.
Lagorio's sister runs the larger sister store of the same name in Marblehead, which carries furniture as well as French country gifts and housewares.
Lagorio said, "My store is French silk, candles and things. We love the store down there. It's a nice spot. We have a lot of regular clientele that come in and we get people who come in from the hotels. I stayed until it was really forced to close. We're still paying the rent here, so it's not easy."
Complicating matters further, the store was hit with a brick through the glass door shortly after the shutdown. The door is boarded temporarily, and Lagorio says the glass will be replaced when the shutdown ends. "We love that location, so we are going to reopen there. It's such a great neighborhood, I can't wait to get back there when the time is right."