INNISFAIL – When Elaine Byman became the new owner of an established hair salon on April 1, 2019, she never figured it would just be a year later when her once promising business would be battered into a two-month pandemic lockdown.
But Byman survived and her business at Henday Mall, First Impressions Hair, Esthetics and Laser Studio, bounced back, looking even more promising going into the start of autumn. But it wasn’t to be.
She is locked down again as of Dec. 13. This time, it will be for at least 28 days. Byman will have to let go of two full-time staff. Two other ladies who rent space from her will also be out of work, but still required to pay her for the space. Byman will also have to pay rent.
“It’s been quite devastating trying to come back from the first shutdown,” said Byman. “We were just slowly being kind of back to where we were about September-ish last year, and it was looking a little more promising. And now, the carpet is being pulled out from under us again.”
However, her deep disappointment at the turn of events into a second lockdown has not turned into noticeable anger. She gets it. The COVID-19 pandemic is serious business, even if it is financially devastating.
“Obviously, the numbers are showing that people are not following their (provincial government) recommendations and with the second shutdown being only four weeks, at this point it could be longer to help get the curve under control, and hopefully make it a lot easier for people to get back to work and make a living,” said Byman.
“I don’t know what the future holds for any small business, where the money comes from to stay afloat, how we get back to pre-COVID numbers, our wages need to be back to that, our revenues need to be back to that.
“I don’t know how that is going to happen without us being actually closed for a little bit longer,” she added.
During the first lockdown, Byman said she did not apply for any provincial assistance as she hoped it would not be necessary to rely on government assistance.
“But with the second shutdown, unfortunately I have burned through all my savings and everything and at this point I think I will have to,” she said.
She did seek federal help through the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program, which helped but lasted only until November. In the fall, Ottawa announced the amended Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy to begin in December. Although Byman has not as yet applied, she planned to soon look into it to see if she qualifies.
“The numbers seem to be all over the place on what you need to make or what your losses are to qualify,” said Byman. “I will have to go back and do some number crunching, and if I have to, I will certainly apply for any of those programs. If I don’t need to, I am happy to leave it for somebody else who is in a more dire need than I am.”
While the situation remains heartbreaking, she is determined to soldier on the best she can despite the ongoing stress of not knowing what might happen next.
“We are tying to stay positive and optimistic about things changing. We have a phenomenal group of people in Innisfail that are supporting all the small businesses in town, which is fantastic,” said Byman.
“We certainly want everyone to have a safe Christmas, safe New Year, roll out and some semblance of normal life. Just to get back to some sort of normal would be ideal for everyone’s mental health.”
