BY LUCIE KRISMAN
It’s not unusual for Jasmin Ramirez to receive many calls a day asking when her family’s downtown restaurant will reopen for dine in.
As COVID-19 regulations for businesses continue and remodeling at the restaurant wraps up, the manager of Jasmin Restaurant wants the community to be patient as it remains limited to carryout.
"During a time like this, I felt like people would support us and understand us more," Ramirez said. "I just want people to be patient and kind, that's it. We try our best, definitely. I feel like everyone does."
Six months after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Kansas, many Eudora businesses continue navigating what being open for business looks like during a pandemic.
City Manager Barack Matite said local businesses are doing the best they can given the circumstances, and the work of the Chamber of Commerce to introduce programs to financially assist these businesses has helped.
"They're slowly trying to adapt to the new normal," Matite said. "Adjusting to that, I'm sure, will affect their business operations and in turn will affect their revenue stream."
Local sales taxes in Eudora have decreased by 8.2%, or about $37,000, compared to January-September data from last year, according to the annual local sales tax report provided by the Kansas Department of Revenue.
Overall, taxes are down 1.79%, or about $20,000, when city, county and online sales and use taxes are considered together, according to the city's finance department. An increase in online shopping tax revenue is apparent..
To help local businesses, the city received $120,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding during the summer that helped eight local businesses with employee retention and economic development assistance, city spokesman Jeff Rhodes said.
The city plans to begin accepting applications in October for $119,500 in CARES Act small business assistance and will soon release details on eligibility, which will be broader than the block grant funding, Rhodes said. The goal is to award the money before the end of November.
Local businesses say the pandemic has had a wide-ranging impact -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- on the bottom line.
“Challenging for everybody”
The initial days of the pandemic resulted in some businesses shutting down temporarily, some businesses slammed with extra traffic and many making adjustments in order to conduct business safely.
The Chamber surveyed local businesses about the impact they have faced. President GW Weld said so far, businesses have reported over $100,000 in lost revenue or expenses.
He anticipates the true total being even higher, as not all members have responded and not all businesses in Eudora are members of the Chamber.
In the meantime, the Chamber is working on keeping members updated on grants and programs for possible financial assistance while there is less opportunity for them to meet and network.
"It’s been challenging for everybody," he said. "We've just seen a lot of businesses that have had to change the ways they've always done things. By and large, they’ve done a pretty good job at that.”
For Kathy Weld, owner of Zeb's Coffeehouse, it means having only about half the number of tables inside as before and continuing to offer curbside pickup.
"It's been a rollercoaster, that's for sure," Weld said. "I think everybody figured out different ways to try to adapt and adjust, and it affects every business differently."
Zeb's Coffeehouse recently returned to standard hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and now allows customers in-store with masks. While the coffeehouse will continue offering curbside pickup to accommodate customers who feel most comfortable with that option, Weld said customers have been excited to enjoy the space again and to have somewhere to work besides their homes.
"It has done my heart good to see people in our space again," Weld said. "It's been really hard being in an environment where it hasn't been OK to gather. We haven't been able to do the thing that most excites me about our business."
Taking a financial hit
Twill Trade owner Elizabeth Knispel said her boutique and retail as a whole have taken a financial hit due to not having regular hours and not having normal access to wholesalers that provide the store’s typical inventory.
Since reopening in May, the store has been rearranged, social distancing is implemented within the store and fitting rooms are closed on Saturdays and during normal high traffic times.
"It's a little bit different from our business model before, where we wanted people to linger and hang out and see more items," Knispel said. "Now it's kind of like, 'Come in, see what you can and come back and see us again soon.’”
Twill Trade has also started offering private appointments for customers who are not comfortable with shopping among other customers. During these 45-minute appointments, the customer is only accompanied by limited staff.
"A lot of our high-risk customers really take advantage of the private appointments," Knispel said. "And then there are some who just aren't comfortable yet in the regular shopping experience."
While the store has not seen as many of its regular Eudora customers, Knispel said it has seen a recent uptick in customers from out of town.
"For back-to-school customers, we actually received a lot more traffic from Kansas City and Lawrence and some of those smaller towns around us than we ever have in the past," Knispel said. "The problem is that we didn't see that in addition to our regular customers.”
Customers have just started to return to BlueJacket Crossing Vineyard and Winery, which recently reopened after being closed with curbside only from February to August.
This year, Bluejacket Crossing's typical busy seasons of activity in the tasting room and hosting community events have been traded in for serving limited guests and offering curbside pickup services. Owner Pep Selvan said curbside pickup is still available, but its demand has diminished now that customers can safely return.
"People were dying to come in," Selvan said. "We have a really great group of customers that we've developed over the years. I can't think of a single incident of people being upset about wearing a mask or being careful."
Bluejacket Crossing will still have the ability to sell its inventory to liquor stores and saw a generous increase from curbside sales when they first started. Selvan said the winery will continue to offer limited outside seating while weather permits it.
"It's something that wineries are talking about right now in terms of what happens when it gets cold and uncomfortable, and how do you market in that environment?" Selvan said. "As long as the weather cooperates through the fall, we plan on doing a little bit more in terms of some outside bonfires and activities, but still for a very limited number of people."
Changes in routines
At Jasmin’s, Ramirez has seen a shift during lunchtime hours as the restaurant normally sees more dine-in customers during lunch than during dinner. However, she said the restaurant is still just as busy with carryout orders as it was when customers were dining in.
Quilting Bits & Pieces saw a return of customers as quilting classes became available again with spaced tables.
Owner Christina DeArmond said the shop has been incredibly busy as customers look for supplies to finish projects they are working on with more time at home.
"A large majority of our phone calls for several months were 'Are you open?'" DeArmond said. "We've been tremendously busy the last three months, probably one of the best years we’ve had for that three-month period."
The store normally sees a surge of customers from out of town, and despite current limitations on travel, DeArmond has not seen a decrease in these types of customers.
"I think people are out and on the go, from what we've experienced," DeArmond said. "I think maybe they aren't making all the stops they used to make when they would come over. They would hit several quilt shops and make a whole day of it and now I think they're mainly finding one."
Gene’s Heartland Foods has also made changes within the store to abide by COVID-19 precautions, such as implementing face masks, not allowing customers in the meat room and offering curbside pickup as well as temporarily updating delivery offers to twice a week instead of once.
Manager Jess Brock said she has noticed that while sales for the store are up, customer count is down, meaning that maybe the fewer customers who choose to shop are buying more when they do.
Lulu’s Bakery owner Cara Austin has seen a few new customers recently. The bakery is open one day a week on Saturdays and has not reduced hours but is continuing to offer delivery and curbside pickup.
“We’ve been fortunate enough that people are probably tired of being at home and want a little special treat on the weekend,” Austin said. “I had a new customer say that they’ve made coming to Lulu’s a new Saturday routine.”
As the pandemic continues and businesses adapt to the current regulations of staying open, Weld said she’s thankful for a town cheering on local businesses and wants the community to know Zeb's Coffeehouse employees are working diligently to provide a safe environment for them.
"We really do take that seriously," Weld said. "We want everyone to be able to feel comfortable engaging with us at whatever level they're comfortable with."
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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