Businesses Remain Open
By: Thomas Davila
After the COVID-19 pandemic stormed the United States, businesses have had to shut down. After these shutdowns happened many small businesses were affected and people lost their jobs.
Governor Newsom has allowed businesses to reopen, but at a limited capacity. Restaurants are allowed to operate for outdoor dining only, delivery and take-out.
Some businesses have set up large tarps and canopies to keep customers dry during the cold/rainy weather.
Gold's Gym in Montclair is not letting Covid-19 or winter stop them from operating their company. As people drive past the gym on the 10 freeway they can see that they have an entire setup with all their gym equipment outside under a large white tent set up outside.
Bigger gyms like 24 Hour Fitness and L.A. Fitness are the only major fitness centers that remain closed. This has led 24 Hour Fitness to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the middle of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Barbershops and hair and nail salons are only allowed to be open at twenty-five percent capacity and a face covering must be worn while being served. A local barbershop in the Inland Empire has gone to extreme measures and is cutting hair outside their business.
There are some restaurants that have defied the states orders, and have allowed some of their frequent customers to dine inside in order to make money.
The indoor malls are open but at limited capacity and people must wear a face covering. The Plaza in Montclair is open, but more than half of the businesses inside the mall are either closed or nonexistent due to Covid-19.
Kalin Kassabov, Founder and CEO of ProTexting.com says:
"First, you have to expand your mindset and seek ways to cash in on this massive e-commerce trend. Advertise your merchandise to new potential customers, work on retaining your customers- get your customers to come back by signing them up for some type of reward or point system, like Banana Republic or Barnes and Noble do." These are just some of the ways Kassabov suggests on how these businesses should make money.
The disease variant Covid-19 stormed the United States almost a year ago and put a damper on business operations. It has affected the lives of many people with no signs of slowing down. It is said that warmer weather helps slow the spread of the virus. The clock is ticking and as summer approaches everyone will soon find out if the vaccines and warmer weather helps slow the spread of Covid.