Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Coast river business journal. (Astoria, OR) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2022)
COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL BUSINESS NEWS AUgUST 2022 • 7 Businesses pivoted during the pandemic ‘WE COULD LOOK EMPTY, BUT BE BUSY. AND IT’S LOVELY.’ Some adjustments have paid off By ABBEY McDONALD Coast River Business Journal When the coronavirus pandemic first reached the North Coast of Oregon and Pacific County in 2020, businesses had no way to predict what would come next. The following years brought closures, reopen- ings, social distancing measures and mandates that required frequent reevaluation. This summer, businesses still face the pressure of supply chain issues, rising costs of goods and staffing. Karla Jensen, the president of the Long Beach Merchants Association, said the consensus of local businesses is that this summer feels slower than the last. She also owns Mermaid Inn & RV Park in Long Beach. “I, personally, on the hotel-side, have been get- ting quite a few cancellations saying that some- body in the family has COVID, or they have COVID or they’re afraid of COVID. So I would say it’s definitely still affecting our businesses,” she said. Frequent pivots have left their mark on the way businesses operate on the North Coast. “If there’s one thing I see across all businesses is that they’ve definitely become more adaptive, because they had to. And they found themselves doing things that maybe weren’t part of their orig- inal business or strategic plan,” said Jessamyn Grace West, the director of the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association. In some cases, the changes businesses made to survive ended up setting them up for a more sta- ble long term. The Coast River Business Journal spoke with three businesses that made big changes in 2020 about how those changes panned out over two years into the pandemic. Brut Wine Bar Lisa Parks opened Brut Wine Bar at the end of 2019, with a cozy indoor seating and bar area that was not built with social distancing in mind. She immediately switched to doing all retail, which allowed her to stay afloat until another busi- ness owner threw her a lifeline in the spring of 2021. The city had approved several parklets — the ability to convert a parking spot to outdoor seat- ing — including one at Merry Time Bar and Grill across the street. “Todd and Terry (the owners) realized that they had plenty of seating, and I had none,” Parks said. “And that’s when I started doing outside seating, and it was life-changing. It was lifesaving.” This summer, the indoor seating at the bar is Chris Holen Nekst Event Richard Mavis, 14-month old Simon Stark and Aman- da Stark, visitors from Port- land, enjoy the sunshine at Brut Wine Bar’s parklet. ABBEY McDONALD open, but Parks has noticed that customers still prefer sitting outside on sunny days, year-round. In July, the owner of Street 14 Cafe downtown built a covered parklet without city authorization that was ordered to be disassembled. The action led city councilors to indicate that they will revisit the parklet program, and its requirements. “It does look like City Council is going to, at least at some point, define it a little better. Which is OK, to make sure that we have rules around it so we can’t just have everybody put something up,” Parks said. “So I’m hoping that it stays, because people love it. But that definitely was not helpful.” Along with the parklet, taking the risk to expand her retail options during the social distanc- ing requirements has benefited the business. “A lot of it is because of support from locals. I mean, all of it is because of that. Because of locals continuing to shop small and shop local. That’s why I’m still here,” she said. Parks said that though business has been suc- cessful, she’s thinking about COVID-19 more than ever. She’s a one-woman business, and is now serving twice as many people. “At any point, if I got COVID, I’m closed for five to 10 days and that’s a huge loss of income. But you do what you have to do because you don’t want to make people sick,” she said. “But I think people are still thinking about it, and nervous. And still, for the most part prefer to be outside.” See Page 8 Taking care of your business... Just Got Easier! Mike Wallis, CPA Suzanne Corliss • Income Tax Preparation & Planning • Accounting Services & Financial Statements • Elder Accounting • Consulting Services for New & Existing Businesses • Payroll Services WWC Business Solutions, Inc. 1024 MARINE DRIVE • ASTORIA • 503.325.2200
