City wants to hear how it can help Hamilton businesses stay afloat during COVID-19

Elizabeth Marshall isn't sure what business will look like on the other side of COVID-19, but right now, she's just hoping people remember her.

Marshall owns Lofty Ambitions, an Ottawa Street store that sells custom-made Canadian furniture. She sells sectional sofas and accent chairs. It all works best when people can walk into the store, browse the decor items and talk to Marshall face to face. But with the province shutting down all non-essential businesses, no one knows when that will happen again.

Marshall's store is listed on hometownhub.ca, a city-led directory of local businesses that take online orders. But not many people buy custom-made furniture online, she said. 

"Basically, we're at zero income," said Marshall, whose husband is her only employee.

"We're using the time to work on the website and improve aspects of the business. We're trying to keep busy, but we have no income coming in."

These are the issues the city says it wants to hear with its new survey for business owners. 

The city is partnering with three chambers of commerce, 13 business improvement areas and Workforce Planning Hamilton on the digital survey. 

"This new survey will provide critical information as to how we can help businesses now and in the months ahead," Mayor Fred Eisenberger said in a media release.

"I encourage as many businesses as possible to complete the survey."

Marshall plans to do that. She has an understanding landlord, she said, so she doesn't expect she'll be evicted. She worries about the state of the economy when she does reopen, and whether people will put off larger purchases like furniture.

"We plan to reopen," she said, but the pandemic "will basically drain everything we have."

Marshall isn't the only one worried about what the future holds. Christal Pshyk co-owns LEN: Democratic Purveyors of Fine Art & Beautiful Things, a Wilson Street shop that sells art, textiles, housewares and stationary, among other items.

Pshyk has started using FaceTime to take customers around the store so they can see and select items. Then she delivers them. 

"It's definitely a consideration that keeps me up at night," Pshyk said of the future. 

"The fact that we're not doing anything normal is challenging. The fact that we're not seeing customers come into our shop." Post-pandemic, she said, will be "going back to normal but also being prepared to do things differently."

The city is also doing weekly teleconference meetings with business improvement areas, and has waived late fees for business licences until May 25. 

The Hamilton Business Centre is opening and offering "e-resources" to support small business, the city says. Initiatives such as Digital Main Street, Starter Company and Summer Company are also offering training, mentorship and micro-grants.