Small businesses can foster their own challenges at the best of times. With COVID-19 making its presence felt worldwide, this has hit a little closer to home with local establishments feeling the repercussions.
For nearly 10 years, clothing retailer, The Paisley Boutique has been a go-to for many Cochranites. On March 19, owner Laurel Pasishnik, along with her dedicated employees, made the decision to close the storefront. This came in advance to the provincial governments' guidelines set forth on March. 25 to prohibit any Albertans from attending non-essential retail businesses.
"As soon as they started closing schools we made a staff decision that this was just the right thing to do," said Pasishnik.
In the heap of it all, one of the biggest challenges for Pasishnik has been the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. She said the first week was stressful for the sole fact that she didn't know what was coming next. With her business at a standstill, Pasishnik decided to lay off her work family.
"The last thing I wanted was for my staff to be effected," she explained.
"But now with the new 75 per cent wage subsidy, I've hired them all back. We are planning to do the top up as well so it's really not their problem. I really believe that if we put money back into our staff's pockets, it's going to start spurring the economy."
Like many local businesses in town, Pasishnik has certainly been feeling the impacts as a result of COVID-19. Evidently sales related to customers coming through the door have taken a plunge, but the saving grace in it all has been the retailers ability to continue to operate through its online platform.
"We just really started pushing online," said Pasishnik. "We started doing videos to try and get the clothing to our customers and just keep things rolling a little bit."
The online aspect of the business has been around for about two years. With the boutique now geared in that direction, Pasishnik and her staff have been focusing on its development.
"This has given us time to work on the website and get more product out there besides some of the things we have images for. It's given us the opportunity to really work at all of the lines - online," she said.
Since turning to the online method, Pasishnik has seen the numbers rise in comparison to previous months. Although it's been a help, it hasn't replaced the revenue the business would be making if the doors were open.
"Everybody has the economic challenge right now and when your revenue stops by 90 per cent, that's a bit of a challenge, so you just get creative with how you can make it work and make sure you keep a calm head about all of it," explained Pasishnik.
Suppliers have also been working through the new norm as they are holding on to product until doors open again in the future.
"Everybody's working together and it's really nice to see."
As the world adapts to a new way of life, Pasishnik and her squad are doing the same. The fashion forward retailer is now offering free delivery or curbside pick-up throughout Cochrane to get product in the hands of customers. Staff are taking all the necessary precautions by sanitizing, using rubber gloves to fill orders, and keeping appropriate distancing upon drop offs.
"We are doing everything we can to be as responsible in that way," said Pasishnik.
The boutique offers an online credit or store credit for any items in place of returns. Pasishnik is also extending the 10 day in store credit or exchange. She mentions a main priority during this crisis is to work closely with their customers to make sure they are left happy with their purchase.
Unprecedented times have been met with an enormous amount of support from the local community, which Pasishnik says is very humbling given the situation.
"It's pretty easy to stay positive when you get emails from your customers that go 'oh I love you ladies, and you're the best, and I'm placing an order right now because I want you to stay in business.'"
And while some of us may be going crazy with all this idol time, Pasishnik says she is normally going a mile a minute so this has given her time to "calm down".
"I think that's when you stop and you appreciate what you have, and you really appreciate that you have your family and friends to call and it's made a person realize money isn't the most important thing. We always have to look at the bright side of what we're dealing with. Sometimes these things happen to give us a wake up call and go 'whoa, whoa.' The other things aren't really that important. All of a sudden the world stopped in one day and we get to now re-evaluate."
One more thing that's been difficult for Pasishnik,
"I really miss my girls," she chuckled. "They're really all wonderful ladies and I am very lucky to have them."
