Local Businesses Owners Speak Out on Their Struggle Through the Pandemic

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Bill Yim, Owner of My Cleaners in Dexter

| 5 min | By Doug Marrin |

Sometimes during a storm, light breaks through, warming the soul and giving us hope. Such is the case with some local merchants. Business owners from Chelsea and Dexter share with us in their own words what they have experienced these past ten months.

Vogel’s & Foster’s in downtown Chelsea sells stylish clothing, jewelry, and accessories. The store has been a steady fixture in the community for decades. But as rock-solid as the business has been, owner Mike Jackson says they, like all businesses, have had to adapt in unexpected ways.

“I have delivered product to customer’s front porches,” he says. “We have been cleaning multiple times daily. Thanks to Ugly Dog Distillery, we have ample supplies of hand sanitizer for everyone visiting the store. I have done special orders for customers almost every day.”

Vogel's & Foster's in downtown Chelsea

The challenges are not limited to point-of-sale exchanges, however. Disruption in the supply chain adds yet more pressure. “Many of our vendors are running out of product and will not be resupplied until spring,” he says.

When it comes to community support, Jackson is grateful. “Covid-19 has been very difficult for everyone,” he says. “Many Chelsea residents have made a point of shopping locally, and the local retail community really appreciates that. I have been especially thankful for long time and brand new customers.”

While many businesses struggle with reduced demand, Aberdeen Bike in Chelsea finds itself in just the opposite situation. Owner Mike Casey explains that similar to Vogel’s & Foster’s. The business has been caught between the demand for bikes and a shortage of goods from suppliers.

“Things here were a bit crazy,” he says. “We had unprecedented shortages of all types of inventory—bikes, components, accessories—you name it. And biking was one of the activities people can do during these difficult times.”

Mike explains that while Aberdeen is now getting caught up on new bikes ordered and parts for repairs, next year looks to be much of the same. “The 2021 season is shaping up to be another difficult season for getting products,” he says. “Manufacturers are already warning about inventory being difficult to get. We are suggesting that if people want a bike for spring or summer, they should be shopping now.”

Laura Telesco is co-owner of 3Bird in Dexter, a shop that offers specialty home décor and design. She explains her business is affected by the foot traffic around town. “With the restaurants being closed, there are fewer people out and about,” she explains. “Luckily, we have the Border-to-Border Trail and the Cider Mill, both of which draw a lot of people into Dexter.”

“I think it’s made people realize the importance of a vibrant downtown,” she adds. “Restaurants and retail make the downtown. If they don’t have that, really, what do you have?”

Laura Telesco, C0-owner of 3Bird in downtown Dexter

With what has become a refrain with many businesses, Laura credits the community with helping 3Bird through the pandemic. “We have very loyal customers who have come in, and they want to see us survive. We appreciate every customer who comes in. So many people come in and tell us, ‘We’re so glad you’re still here. We’re so glad you’re still in business.’”

“I just really want to stress that there are people out there that want retail in their town, and they want that in-person experience,” adds Laura. “They want to see that survive.”

DeeDee Willis owns Hearts ‘n Flowers in Dexter. “We’re a flower shop, and our business is very event-based. Weddings, graduation, prom, and Easter celebrations were cancelled. What has kept us going is the support of this town. People ordered flowers for themselves to help us out, which I found amazing. The stopping and then restarting of safety restrictions is difficult, but we’re managing. At least in my business, I’m still able to operate in a fairly reasonable way.”

Jennifer Fairfield, owner of The Garden Mill in downtown Chelsea points out a double-whammy the shutdown created for small businesses. Not only did they lose their sales, but would-be customers found other places to make their purchases.

“The complete shutdowns early in the year cut sales to next to nothing, as people had to stay home,” she explains. “Normally, spring is a very busy time for us – people are planting gardens and getting tools, supplies, and seeds or plants. The initial reaction to the shutdown of small businesses meant that people turned to other places to get those things since we were not considered an essential business.”

The Garden Mill in downtown Chelsea

Jennifer got busy adapting. “We were able to eventually do online shopping, curbside pickup, and even shopping by appointment, but that initial hit has been impossible to overcome completely,” she says. “Our online store has given our customers another way to shop with us – we have always offered customers the ability to shop over the phone, and we continue to offer curbside pickup, as well as shipping and even limited local delivery.”

She points out that the pandemic has made it easy for shoppers to turn away from local businesses to the internet. But a silver lining she believes is “the pandemic has made more people stop to think about the impact they can have when they re-think their shopping habits.”

“One thing I can say – and have been saying all along – is that we are very fortunate to have a very supportive community,” she says. “Lots of customers have come in, called, or ordered online and made a point to tell us that they want to support us – that they want to make sure we survive this.”

“I can’t tell you how much that means to all of us,” she adds. “We had people who bought gift certificates from us while we were shut down. That was a leap of faith for our customers since they had no way of knowing if we would reopen.”

MItten Fitness in Dexter

Colby Buswell is co-owner of Mitten Fitness in Dexter, a gym offering Crossfit, strength and endurance training, and yoga. The popular workout space was shut down completely last March.

“We shut down completely as per the governor’s orders,” explains Colby. “Even though it hurt us businesswise, we agreed with the governor.”

The gym quickly adapted by loaning out equipment for members to use at home. The coaches conducted one or two classes a day via Zoom and posted video tutorials to Youtube. When the shutdown lifted along with some restrictions, Mitten Fitness set up socially-distanced mats in the parking lot and built an outdoor rig for classes to resume since only outdoor exercise classes were allowed.

Even though an indoor open gym is now allowed, Mitten Fitness still can’t grow its membership. “It’s hard to promote ourselves right now and increase our numbers,” says Colby. “Safety guidelines restrict us to how many people can be in the gym at one time.”

The gym has marked out individual exercise spots, each with its bucket of sanitizer and a cloth for members to keep things wiped down as they go. “Keeping things clean is not a deterrent for people,” Colby says. “According to the surveys we’ve conducted, more members come to the gym regularly because we enforce the safety protocols.”

“In the end, it’s the community that has saved us, and we’ve got a great community willing to work out and stay healthy but is also willing to work with our restrictions,” he adds.

Bill Yim bought My Cleaners in Dexter in 2019 and has had a difficult time generating business. When people stopped going to work, their need to have professional clothes cleaned also ceased. “We’re struggling to live on a fraction of what we had before the pandemic,” he says. “We’re hoping Dexter will bring in other things like blankets, winter jackets, and sweaters to help us, though.”

Bill explains that business began to pick up again in October, but the MDHHS order in November has knocked them down again.

Culture Creations in downtown Chelsea

Culture Creations in downtown Chelsea sells stylish cultural artifacts from around the globe. In business only six months when the shutdown occurred, owner Laura Scriven believes small shops have certain advantages that people prefer.

“I do think that people are making more of an effort to shop local and prefer shopping in the smaller stores because of the safety measures that are visibly being taken,” she explains. “I have masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer next to the door, and I ask people to please sanitize their hands before they come in. I use sanitizer on common surfaces, my counter, and myself all the time. I also built a ‘covid wall’ using wooden/glass windows. It looks nice and provides excellent protection.”

One strategy she, along with other business owners, have implemented is banding together in their efforts. Laura points to ChelseaMichLive, a Facebook page started to connect local merchants to the community. With over 800 followers already, the group hosts two live events each month featuring virtual shopping, updates, and Q&A sessions. Laura says the group has increased awareness of Culture Creations in the community.

When facing an uncertain future, Laura’s confidence is firmly rooted in the Chelsea community.

“I’m extremely optimistic about the future,” she says. “The community has been very supportive to all of our businesses.”

And that is a ray of light in this storm—gratefulness for our communities and their support.

Jennifer Fairfield profoundly appreciates the community’s faithful support. “For many businesses, people being willing to invest in us like that made a huge difference in being able to pay the bills during those early days. I have faith that we will make it through this, with the continued support of the community.”

Photo Credits: Doug Marrin

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