Doing business — or not — during COVID-19 in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Shop on East Main Road celebrated its 39th year in business on Wednesday, April 1. 

Unfortunately, no customers were there for the store’s birthday because the long-running gift shop was forced to shut its doors on Monday. Gov. Gina Raimondo ordered all “non-critical” businesses to close until at least April 13 to contain the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Sarah Zlydaszek, whose parents, Steven and JoAnn Ryder, own the business and the building, respectively, was behind the cash register on Sunday, the last day the shop was allowed to stay open for now.

“We’re totally non-essential, and we know that,” Ms. Zlydaszek said. “This is why we’ve been so torn, because we have tried not to cancel any orders from vendors. We’re still having to pay our bills, we’re still getting merchandise in, but at the same time we know we’re non-essential and we want people to be safe and to have enough money to pay for their own food. We’re all in the same situation.”

To help keep some income coming in, she’s been building a website for the store. 

“I hope to be live with that sometime next week. But we also know, there’s no extra money for people. We’re trying to be present and be relevant and give people the opportunity to have a connection to a local business, but at the same time we’re all strapped,” she said.

Since the pandemic started in the U.S., business has been “terrible,” she said.

“It was about three weeks ago, really, that things just sort of came to a standstill,” she said. “I remember the last show (for vendors) that I went to was the beginning of March in Falmouth. It was very busy and then pretty much two days after that show, that’s when things began to really fall apart.”

Other businesses have also felt the pinch, Ms. Zlydaszek said. “We’re all so anxious,” she said. “There’s one school of thought, where we’re all in it together, but at the same time it’s just overwhelming to just think of the scope of all of this.”

Did she think the shutdown could hurt the shop’s chances of re-opening? “I’d like to think not. Our customers have been so wonderful and they are reaching out. Even if they can’t spend, they’re letting us know that they’re with us,” she said.

“Everybody wants to keep everybody together. Even if you can’t spend crazy money, just that contact — somebody liking your page on Facebook — it means so much to us.”

Business is still blooming

Not every local business is hurting, however.

It was only Monday afternoon, but already the week felt “like the twilight zone,” said Debbie Perry, vice president of Tom’s Lawn and Garden, a John Deere dealership that sells and services equipment for landscapers and homeowners across the state. 

On Sunday, the business had begun preparing to shutter its brick-and-mortar establishment until April 13, based on Gov. Raimondo’s announcement about non-critical retail businesses the day before. Then they learned that the ban did not actually apply to them. 

“(The state) didn’t really categorize us,” Ms. Perry said. “It’s definitely been a learning experience for everybody, I think.”

What has been even more surprising to Ms. Perry is how busy Tom’s has been for the past week or so, in light of everything going on with COVID-19. But with people stuck at home and running out of places to go and things to do, they are turning to yard work — purchasing trimmers, hand-mowers and compact trailers.

“People are calling to buy tractors just right over the phone,” Ms. Perry said. 

For customers who still are coming into the store, Ms. Perry said Tom’s is ensuring a safe environment, making hand sanitizer readily available, keeping plenty of Lysol wipes on hand and having employees use gloves. 

“This is going to be our life for probably the next two or three months,” Ms. Perry said. “You have to be smart.”

Carlone’s still delivering

Around noon on Tuesday, the phone was continually ringing over at Carlone’s Florist, and general manager Brian Weeks apologized for the brief hold. “Sorry,” he says, coming back onto the line, “just had to take two quick orders.”

It has been a day since the new restriction was implemented, but Carlone’s — a Portsmouth institution — had already discontinued its walk-in services for several weeks out of an abundance of caution. While the ability to allow walk-ins certainly contributed to the business, other aspects of the coronavirus pandemic have hit the business harder. In normal times, Carlone’s would be fulfilling church orders for Easter lilies and palms for Palm Sunday, but not this year.

As the numbers allowed in public gatherings continue to dwindle, more families are choosing to grieve lost loved ones privately — meaning friends and relatives are no longer thinking of sending flowers. Two weddings in the books for April have since been canceled or rescheduled. 

“It just trickles down the line,” Mr. Weeks said. 

But if Tuesday’s string of phone calls was any indication, Carlone’s is still keeping plenty busy. There are wedding inquiries for 2021, birthday and anniversary orders to fulfill. He also has been getting a number of calls from people wanting to send “cheer-up” floral arrangements during these tough times of social distancing. 

“It’s a ‘stay at home, enjoy your flowers,’ kind of thing,” Mr. Weeks said. 

Right now, it’s just Mr. Weeks and his mother running the shop, making sure they do so as safely as possible. Mr. Weeks said he wears gloves while out on deliveries, calling customers once he drops off the arrangements in lieu of ringing doorbells in efforts to minimize contact.  

“We’re just doing what we can,” he said.

The calm before the storm  

That same day, general manager Jim Pember was already planning ahead for what could be Botanica Nurseries’s busiest season yet, when more and more people expectedly turn to home-grown plants and vegetables in the wake of the pandemic. 

“I think growing food at home is going to be bigger than it has been since the Second World War,” Mr. Pember said. 

And it can be readily accessible by anyone, regardless of whether they are struggling financially or living in a tiny, cramped apartment. While there are plenty of resources online, Mr. Pember welcomes any questions from novice growers looking to get help getting their projects off the ground. 

“We’re here to give advice, to direct people to help in any way that we can,” he said. 

Part of that also includes making sure customers feel safe when they visit the nursery. When Botanica opens in just a few weeks, shortly after Easter, Mr. Pember is considering implementing a drive-through pickup option for any pre-paid vegetables, flowers, or shrubs. 

“Everybody has to work smarter, harder, give a little bit more,” Mr. Pember said. “We all just have to play ball, I think.”

Making the most of it

Unlike many other restaurants that scrambled after dine-in services were shut down due to COVID-19, Mike MacFarlane chose not to offer takeout or delivery service at his Tremblay’s Island Park Bar & Grill on Park Avenue. 

“The governor originally said through March 30,” Mr. MacFarlane said. (The ban on dine-in service has since been extended to April 13.)

“I said, let’s use those two weeks. I need a new floor in the bar area, some painting done and some other stuff. There’s never a good time to close the restaurant for that stuff.”

He said he’s still entertaining the idea of offering takeout, possibly as early as this weekend. But, he said, “When people come here, they want to sit down with a burger and a beer.”

His employees are “temporarily laid off,” he said. “The minute we know we can reopen, we’re bringing everybody back.”

Mr. MacFarlane said he’s also keeping his plans to open a new restaurant in the vacant former bar and pub next door to Tremblay’s. The name of the new place is “still up in the air,” but it will be a little more upscale than Tremblay’s, he said.

“It’s still going to have a casual environment, but different than Tremblay’s, which has that pub feel. Next door is going to have a New England look,” he said, with a beer garden out back, a different wine list, and more seafood.

‘You’ll never know the same person owns both, unless you know me,” he said.

Although he hopes to open the new restaurant in May, he knows the pandemic could delay things. 

“A lot of this is a mystery,” he said. “But if companies can’t open because of safety reasons, I totally understand that.”