Turns out shutting down all non-essential businesses has done nothing but hurt small business owners. Seems as if people don’t like being told they have to stay home. In fact, here’s what the parking lot of Lowes and Walmart looked like on April 1st, two days after the Executive Order to shelter in place.
The only businesses that we saw closed were the Mom and Pop stores and the small professional services businesses. The restaurants, for the most part, are still open and handling take out orders. Large scale or franchise business were still open. In a way, you could say this order has had the opposite, intended effect. If you take away the number of places people can shop, more will congregate in the ones that are left open.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:
So we are collectively shaking our heads, wondering if we are destined to be quarantined in our homes through June 10th. It appears as if all we are doing is waiting our turn to get the virus. Williamsburg and the country can’t wait that long or small business will be out of business.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Email the Governor’s Office and let him know how this shut down has affected your business. Add up all of the hours you’ve spent applying for emergency aid or filing for unemployment. Tell him all of the people you’ve had to lay off or if you have been furloughed, how many people you won’t be able to support now that you’ve lost your job.
Email the Board of Supervisors as well. Elected officials need to hear how this has affected you personally.
