COVID-19 has rocked society as we once knew it. It has toyed with our psyche and small businesses the backbone of our economy have been hit hard. But for all the negatives there are also positives to come out of this dark time. Grafton businesses like those all-round Australia are doing it tough but for all the doom and gloom some businesses have experienced a silver lining.
Corey Menzies and Dom Wojtaszek are the new proprietors of Jacaranda Laundry in Grafton and said the community had supported them through COVID-19. They have now been the new proprietors for one year and said they get a lot of travellers passing through Grafton who make use of their laundry facilities. Cory and Dom both agree that Grafton locals have been incredibly supportive of them during these troubled times.
For Sheree Cordell owner and proprietor of Café 1851 in the Link and Jim Beans in Grafton Shopping World, COVID-19 meant closing both businesses for seven weeks. Sheree also operates two mobile coffee vans from 1851 and said they will both be back operating from July.
“I was going crazy at home,” Sheree said.
Since re-opening Sheree admitted that customers have been “re-engaging with us. The locals have been amazing in their support. Seating was hard at first but as the time has gone on it is become a lot easier.
“People really appreciate that we are here for them and we have been well supported,” she said.
For many businesses sanitizing is just a way of life and not much has changed.
Taine Hunter-Smith proprietor of SusTaine Fitness said she was hit hard.
“One moment I was running a busy and successful business with clients and then we were told to close. It has been very stressful.
“I stayed in contact with my clients but information coming from the Government kept changing,” she said.
For Taine, Social media was her ‘saving-grace’.
“I used ZOOM but problems with the Internet had its ups and downs,” she said.
Taine believes that gyms are going to have to evolve using social media.
COVID-19 is still very much a reality and fact of life, but as Grafton businesses are proving ‘state-of-mind’, is a big game changer.