Hear these local business owners who are just done with the pandemic

Over the past week, business owners have shared with CBC KW's The Morning Edition just how difficult this pandemic has been.

The stories range from a floral shop's decision to move from the "dead zone" of downtown Kitchener to a restaurant owner who is worried about bills and loans coming due to a hair salon that tried to remain open but was threatened with court action.

Business owners told CBC K-W they're tired, they've taken financial hits and they need help.

They also understand why the lockdowns are necessary and appreciate the community support.

Listen to these interviews with local business owners who lay out exactly what they're feeling as the province implemented an "emergency break," then a stay at home order in less than a week.

Waterloo's Churchill Arms owner Sharon MacCandless said she's going to try to survive.

"I've already taken a couple of loans and now I have to pay that but every time you think you're going to get a little bit ahead and maybe be able to pay back the money they keep handing you, but it's borrowed money that you have to pay, they lock us down, so it's like, when will I ever be able to pay it back on top of the other loans I took just to open the place up?" MacCandless said.

Kitchener's Shear Amazement hair salon owner Holly Fuhr says she's been impacted financially and there's mental and physical stress because she has to "work myself to death" to get caught up on clients and do as much work until the next shutdown.

"It's very taxing on my mental health," she said. 

Guelph salon owner Pina Marfisi vowed to stay open during the third lockdown and said she was prepared to pay the $880 fine.

But when bylaw arrived at her salon in downtown Guelph on Tuesday just after noon, she was told she wouldn't be given a ticket. Instead, she would land in court.

"I'll take the court date if they leave us alone, but they won't leave us alone. They will hassle us every day and then possibly lose our business license. So our hands are tied," Marfisi said.

"We don't want to get handouts from the government. We want to work. That's the bottom line."

Ronak Patel, who owns the indoor playground and coffee shop Play-a-Latte in Kitchener, says he's been trying to get answers from the province about a small business grant he applied for after he received far less than he was expecting.

Patel changed his business model after the indoor playground was forced to close to start selling toys. 

"If we had to just close our doors and wait for a cheque to come in — that we didn't know were even going to come in — we might have been financially better off doing it that way versus buying inventory for the retail side of our café," he said.

As for the provincial grant funding, "We still haven't received a dime from that."

Meanwhile, Tina Sharpe, owner of Living Fresh, a floral shop in downtown Kitchener, said the province's stay-at-home order will be felt throughout the region's retail landscape.

"Things are going to look a lot different after this because there's not going to be many small businesses left," she said.

She's moving her business out of downtown Kitchener, which she described as a "dead zone" as foot traffic and potential customers has dried up this year. 

She says she would like to feel more supported by local politicians.

"I don't see the municipal government lobbying at all for small business. They don't come into my shop and see how I'm doing and, you know, check in. I'm two blocks from city hall."