FAIRLAWN, Ohio — Retail stores will begin reopening in the state starting Tuesday, May 12 as part of Governor Mike DeWine's Responsible Restart Ohio plan.
- The owner of a Fairlawn boutique says it will take several months to make up the money she lost
- She's implementing new safety precautions to keep her shoppers safe
- She worries if it will be enough to bring shoppers back into her store
While stores will be implementing new safety precautions, some businesses wonder if that will be enough to bring shoppers in.
"It's a struggle, I mean it's going to be a struggle for a while. I just hope that people shop, but if nobody comes in and shops, the businesses cannot survive," said Cyndie Whitford, owner of Cynthia's Boutique in Fairlawn.
Cynthia's Boutique's busiest months are March, April and May, but since the store has been shutdown the majority of those months due to COVID-19, it missed out on its money-making season.
Since then, Whitford has been coming up with creative ways to sell her merchandise, such as modeling clothes on her social media and offering curbside pick-up and delivery. This week, she will be launching an online store to help with sales.
"What people don't understand is, we can't make up in a month what we lost, it's going to take months. It really really did hurt us and it still is hurting us and it will probably hurt us through July," said Whitford.
Whitford will be reopening her store on May 12 with limited hours. She's implementing new safety measures to keep her shoppers safe.
"We have hand sanitizer for our customers, we have a few masks if people feel they need a mask, we also will be selling masks and giving them away with certain purchases for a special. We will bag everything, tissue paper it, wipe off their card, I have gloves here," said Whitford. "Steamers kill all viruses, so we will be using the steamer on all clothing throughout the day."