‘Everything is different’

Ah, Ellijay in the springtime. Tree and flower blooms are plenteous, birdsong fills the air and downtown merchants open their doors wide for the warm breezes that usher tourists and other visitors into their shops.

But not this year, at least for the latter.

Normally, it’s hard to find a parking space on the square in the spring — even on a weekday. This year, however, downtown parking spots are empty and available everywhere due to the government-imposed shutdown from the coronavirus pandemic. 

On recent Saturdays and Sundays, there were just a handful of visitors in town. And they could only buy food from a restaurant in carry-out style, having it delivered to their car.

Last week, some downtown Ellijay merchants agreed to talk to the Times-Courier about how the COVID-19 virus shutdown is affecting their businesses, Here are their responses:

Hometown Florist & Yesterday’s Decor Furniture — Judy Wilson, owner with her husband, Calvin, said their store has been closed since March 17.

“Oh, my goodness, I’ve lost so much business,” Judy Wilson said, replying 80 percent down when asked a number. “I had weddings that had to be canceled, flowers I had ordered, work I had put into the weddings. I lost that revenue. Not being able to get product, I’m limited in what kind of flowers I can get right now. I actually only have one wholesaler who is delivering that I can get flowers from.”

Wilson noted, “Everything is different.”

“I clean everything in the shop, even though there’s no one coming in here, because my product comes in boxes — the additional steps I take when I do deliver flowers, making sure everything is sanitary,” she said. “I’m so used to hand delivering and seeing a smile on (customers’) faces, but now I go set it on the porch, get in my vehicle and call to say, ‘Your flowers are at the door.’ I haven’t seen people since the beginning of March. I’m a people person, and love interacting with customers and talking to them and getting to know them. They’re not just customers, they become friends.”

Wilson said she calls people “to check on them, because they are widows and have no family here. There are so many people that this (sheltering) is getting to emotionally. What they’re going through is hard.”

Wilson was asked about the future.

“It’s gonna be hard,” she said. “It all depends if we open back up May 1. Mother’s Day is our Apple Festival. We normally have to preorder and prebook our flowers. This year (we can’t do that) because nobody knows if we’re going to be open … I just put out a notice saying you need to pre-book your flowers, so you can get what you want.

“But if we don’t open back up, it’s going to be bad. I’m not going out of business, but I’ll be working by myself for a long time … I trust in God. I know he’s got this. He didn’t put me here for 22 years for a piddling virus to put me out. I know it’s bad, but I’m doing what I need to in order to protect myself and my family.”

Bavarian Chocolatier & Fudge Shop 

Michael Ferst, co-owner with his wife, Cherie, said the shutdown has “definitely affected the day-by-day business.”

“(It’s) because our business is handing over $2-$5 items to as many people as possible,” he explained. “So it’s kinda like you don’t want to risk (exposure) to yourself or your staff, so I shut down the front — the brick-and-mortar, as you say — but I’m still busy shipping fudge nationwide.”

Ferst said he’s paying the bills by shipping out those orders. 

“It’s a fine balance between making fresh chocolate items like fudge, and how many people are going to be potentially ordering it (off the street) — it’s a little tricky,” he said.

The future?

“The good thing for me is I can use this time to come up with some new products, rearrange and make things better ... it’s actually a welcomed time, because I can focus on all the things that have been neglected. So it’s a time now of making things better for what’s to come.”

Ellijay Wood Fired Italian Restaurant 

Owner Marcello Sandrini is doing carry-out orders only. 

“Business is easily down 50 percent,” he reported. “We basically had to change our business model from a full-service restaurant to a carry-out restaurant to survive, which means creating an online ordering platform and having delivery drivers in place. The Ellijay Police Department was kind enough to arrange a pick-up lane outside for us, for carry-out. These things have helped. If it wasn’t for those things, we’d probably be down 75-80 percent (in business).”

Sandrini said he has created special deals, like value meals and complete dinners for a family.

“It’s just been about adapting,” he said. “(Customers) usually call in over the phone, they can pay over the phone — we can do no-contact service, or they can order online and pay online, (give us) their car and make and model, so when we see the car we can carry (the order) out to their window or put it in the trunk.”

How about when the shutdown lifts?

“I think our dining room will probably be slow to reopen, as we don’t think the virus will just disappear,” he believes. “I think it’s forever changed our business model, because now we’re a take-out restaurant, in addition. We’ll probably be blending our take-out when our dining room opens, with people slowly trusting that they can get out in public again. I see the rest of our summer being affected by this in one way or another.”

Misty Hollow Antiques & Collectibles

Owner Barbara Simmons reports her store is closed for now.

“I am a vendor mall, so we have absolutely zero income at this point,” she said. “I have discounted my vendors’ rent by 50%, which gives me a little bit of income to pay the utilities and mortgage payment — but absolutely zero profit, that’s for sure, not even enough to cover all the overhead.”

Simmons has retained one employee to “stage new product, clean the store and do some updating inside the building.”

“We have been working with the (Gilmer) Chamber to help us set up a virtual store through Facebook,” she noted. “While we’ve not had any calls to have a virtual walk-through, we’ve had messages with people wanting to buy product.

“So we have sold some product, very little, through Facebook. The customer gives us a credit card (number), and then they tell us when they’re coming to the door — we specify certain hours, and they can pick their product up at the door. So that’s been working out a little bit … we’re prepared to stay closed until it is safe to open.” 

And then?

“I think it’s going to be a very cautious comeback, because there are a lot of people who want to be sure this is behind us,” she said. “So I don’t know if we’re just going to get hordes of people standing at the door ready to shop when this things open up.

“I also have a very optimistic outlook, and I feel like if this thing gets under control, we will have excellent sales and have an excellent comeback. Ellijay is growing and people are attracted to this, and people are gonna want to get out of their cabin fever mode and get out and do some things … but I think you’re going to see a lot of caution.”

Ellijay Coffeehouse

JoAnn Lucas, co-owner with husband, Rick, observed the shutdown has “affected us a lot.”

“We closed our business on March 22,” she said. “But the week before was rough. My staff was nervous, and (authorities) wanted to have all these crazy protocols — which we always had anyway from the health department —  but it got crazier and crazier. 

“You know if you’ve been in our coffee shop, you walk in the door and you’re six feet already from the register.”

After closing, Lucas said the first few days were “brutal.”

“Then you realized this could be awhile, and what did it look like?” she continued. “Business is off 100 percent, but we’re still paying the electrical bill because we gotta keep our freezers. We moved all perishable food out — we’ve given it to the food pantry or to staff. It was just coming into spring, so we purchased everything we’d need … we were stocked up for Florida (visitors) coming up here for spring vacation.” 

The future?

“I think humans are social, by nature, but this has been very difficult,” she said. “I’m actually very proud of our county for being able to stay in … everyone recognizes that this is very serious, but we still are humans that need that connection, to be social.

“People will come out. I don’t think the business will miss a beat when we open up again, because we are that place (people meet), but I just wonder how nervous people will be. Because I hope we don’t open up too early, where it could be worse (to spread the virus) before we really have it under control, and it comes back with a vengeance.”

Cantaberry Restaurant 

Owner Case Bruner remarked, “These are times like we’ve never seen before.”

“But we’re always trying to take the positive out of everything that we do, and in these times we have to reflect on what we can take positive out of anything,” he said. “That’s just the way we’ve been raised to do, and what we’re going to continue to do.”

Bruner said their business is off 75-80 percent.

“I think that seems to be par for everyone around the roundabout,” he believes. The restaurant on the square is doing carry-out, but the sister Cantaberry in Blue Ridge has shut down. 

“We are hoping to open May 1 up there for curbside take-out, we just really had to condense to the mothership down here in Ellijay,” he said. “That was our plan, and that’s what we did. It is what it is, at this point.”

Bruner’s thoughts on the future pertain to all eateries.

“I think this is going to change the restaurant business for a long time to come,” he said. “I think it will be a very slow dribble out (of diners). I think spacing will be essential for people in the beginning until we find an antidote for this.

“People will continue to be scared, and distancing will be crucial to survive in this business. I don’t think the good times are gonna roll right when we turn the light switch on. It’s gonna take a little time ... maybe we will see that spike for the fall, and punt 2020 out the window come January.”

Mountain Treasures

Sheryl Adams, who co-owns the shop with her husband, Benny, reported she was sprucing up in front of the store Saturday morning as people were driving by, stopping and asking if she was open.

“We’re totally shut down — it’s sad,” she said. “We’re trying to be respectful of our community and everybody else. We’re still trying to do a presence on social media, but that’s not working too well because everyone is scared. I think they’re holding on to what money they have … but I just miss my ‘peeps’ — I miss the people — the contact, the interaction of love.”

Adams said she believes the coronavirus is “God’s open altar call here, to say slow down, take a breath, you’re out of control and remember Me, because people have forgotten.

“I’m enjoying my time at home, we’ve been so productive at home, and it’s almost been like a healing time. So it’s good.”

And the future?

“I think we’re going to see a new normal,” she said. “I don’t think it will ever go back like it was. I pray we will see people more humble, more kind to each other, more conscientious. As far as a business standpoint, I think it’s going to be OK. But it’s going to take time. It took time for this to happen, it’s going to take time for everyone to recover ... it’s like it’s embraced a lot of good, loving, kind people together. Everybody’s been real supportive, and we’ll get through all this together.”