(Image: Market Square Facebook Page, Mike Capson)
Small businesses in uptown Saint John are taking extra precautions and some are temporarily closing as the province and the country try to slow the spread of coronavirus.
On Monday, the province’s Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Russell recommended private sector businesses such as bars, restaurants that have buffets, spas, trampoline parks, arcades and theatres to close.
Even before that announcement was made, several restaurants in uptown Saint John announced they would be closing, one being the Saint John Ale House, whose owners also operate Toro Taco and Barred Rock Chicken, all located in Market Square.
“To protect the health and safety of our customers and staff during growing concern over COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the Saint John Ale House, Toro Taco and Barred Rock Chicken will be temporarily closed beginning Monday, March 16 at 5 p.m. Our business closure plan aligns with the Saint John school closure measures and our expected reopen date will be Monday, March 30, 2020…,” the Saint John Ale House posted on its Facebook page.
“We would like to thank all our patrons for their understanding and support in helping us do our part to protect our staff, neighbours, friends, colleagues and community,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post. “We regret any inconvenience this may cause and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.”
Temporary Closure of Saint John Ale House Family of RestaurantsTo protect the health and safety of our customers and…
Posted by Saint John Ale House on Monday, March 16, 2020
On Monday McGills and Peppers Pub, also located in Market Square, announced they would be closing indefinitely.
Nancy Tissington, executive director of Uptown Saint John, says businesses in the uptown core have been adjusting how they best see fit.
“What we’ve been finding is quite fluid,” says Tissington. “I think at one point last week it was kind of day-by-day, and I think we’re moving hour by hour at this point where they are making rapid changes.”
For most business owners, a pandemic is something they’ve never experienced. Those who are not closing are taking extra precautions and promoting options like online shopping and take-out orders.
“The territory is all so new to us, so they’re doing anything they can to kind of mitigate any kind of spread of the virus,” says Tissington.
For example, Heartbreak Boutique is offering free shipping/local delivery for online orders over a certain amount and Second Cup is now having its baristas add in modifiers like milk, cream or sugar.
“Some [businesses] have jumped on to things like Skip-The-Dishes or takeout, or are pushing for the gift cards for locals to help keep small businesses afloat,” says Tissington. “It’s all such new territory.”
Though some businesses will be closing, Tissington says a good way to safely support those that are still open is by ordering online and purchasing gift cards, and only visit in-person if you’re feeling well.
“Give them a call, check out their hours and their offerings. If you’re feeling unwell, stay home,” she says. “But the support is going to virtual at this point, I would say. Just look for their offering online and see how you can support them online.”
The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce is also urging people to continue to support local in “creative” ways.
“If you can buy gift certificates, if you can order take out, things like that, that avoid the face-to-face interaction, and as we implement more social distancing, we still need to find creative ways to support local businesses and make sure that they stay open,” said Chamber CEO David Duplisea. “We don’t want to devastate some of our hospitality, tourism and retail sector, too, through this, so we’re trying to help wherever we can.”
With files from Inda Intiar.
A version of this story was published in Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
