On March 17th I laid off all my staff and decided to close my doors.
I had only been open for 5 weeks (opened on Feb.10th of this year), so I did not have any savings account built up whatsoever to cover expenses that were still going to come. I knew in order to keep going each week, I had to try to sell online.
I will say that our community of Summerside is amazing. People are reaching out and purchasing items from me more than I expected. The ability to sell is actually working out better than I anticipated. HOWEVER, everything that goes along with online sales is extremely challenging. I may have 10 items sold in one week, but that means 10 deliveries I have to do myself in order to cut any extra costs. That means 10 times I have to go into my store, ring in items, package them up to prep for delivery. That also means 10 trips around Prince County (sometimes even further) each week. And I know that probably doesn’t sound like much at all, but for me it is. Because on March 17th when I closed my doors, the daycares Island wide also closed, and I have 2 young kids home with me now. Not only do I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old home with me, but my spouse is an essential worker, so it’s JUST me home with them. So needless to say, tying to work enough to keep my business afloat during this time, with two young children attached to my hip is the most challenging aspect of all.
I am getting by. Barely, but still making ends meet.
Yes, I check all the chamber updates regarding federal programs, and am happy to be on the CERB right now. Though, it still isn’t enough to keep my business going. It barely covers rent and utilities. So, I am one of the few who still has to strive to make that additional $1000 a month on my own, with two kids who are extremely busy and attention savvy.
I get up at 5am each morning (two hours before my children wake up) to put as much work in as I can during that time, and then when my kids go to bed at 8pm, I then get back to work until about midnight. This is the only chance I get throughout the day. And I will continue to do so every day until I can (hopefully) open my doors again.
That being said, I am extremely grateful to be living in a city where so many people are supportive of small local businesses, and if it wasn’t for my customers, the locals to Summerside, I probably wouldn’t make it out of this. So I am thankful for that for sure, and that’s what keeps me motivated to keep working hard throughout this trying time.