HALIFAX -- With businesses in Nova Scotia now starting to reopen, getting an appointment at a salon or spa is top of mind for many.
"We cancelled probably close to 3,000 appointments before the COVID happened, right during that March week, so to get a hold of those people, that’s really been the toughest challenge,” said Kai Kraushar, co-owner of Interlude Spa in Dartmouth, N.S.
On March 13, KingsPier Curated Collections closed their doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This past weekend, they reopened but are only allowing customers to shop by appointment.
"We don't have open doors per se because our store is so restricted in terms of permitting six-foot distances. I can only have four people in here safely," said owner Laura MacNutt.
Some of the new safety measures at KingsPier include giving customers gloves and steaming any clothing that is handled.
"We're all learning, we're all trying to navigate this new norm and determine what's safe and obviously that's the priority over sales,” said MacNutt.
While many storefronts are starting to reopen, Maps & More in downtown Halifax is still closed. The store has masks, gloves and hand sanitizer, but is waiting for protective glass and floor signage before opening to the public.
"We're planning to reopen next Monday, June 15,” said manager Vanentina Oulyanova. “We need to arrange a shipment of personal protective equipment to make sure our employees and customers are safe."
Even when they do reopen, it’s unclear what business will look like post-pandemic.
"Without cruise ships and a lot of visitors in Halifax, we might not get the same business that we used to. That's the biggest concern for me,” said Oulyanova.
According to a new survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), 38 per cent of businesses in the country were open last week and about 44 per cent are open this week.
"I think we're seeing some tentative moves to reopen the economy but there's still some concern out there,” said CFIB Atlantic vice-president Jordi Morgan.
He says businesses will need help from all three levels of government to survive.
"Businesses do need more help and they're going to continue needing help through the summertime,” said Morgan. “This isn't over by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not even sure we haven't even seen the worst of it yet in terms of business closures and bankruptcies and that kind of thing."
Although they can open up their dining rooms, restaurants can only operate at 50 per cent of their capacity. It’s estimated they are only bringing in about a third of the revenue they were doing this time last year.
"Right now, the forecast is probably up to a year, a minimum of a year before we get back to some sense of reality,” said Gordon Stewart of the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia. “It will be a long, hard road to climb."
According to Stewart, it’s going to be very difficult for a lot of restaurants to continue to operate and there will likely be closures.
"We're expecting a lot will fall through somewhere in mid-fall because that's the harsh reality is that you've kept yourself a little while but can't carry yourself anymore,” he said.
