P.E.I. businesses scramble to reinvent themselves during COVID-19 pandemic

With all non-essential businesses on P.E.I. closed to the public due to COVID-19, many businesses have been scrambling to try to figure out how to survive — whether that's finding new ways to reach their existing customers, pivoting to offer new products or services to new customers, or simply shutting their doors to cut losses and weather the storm with or without government relief. 

From delivery to curbside pickup to moving operations online or offering new products, here's how some Island business are shifting to deal with the pandemic. 

"We looked at it as an opportunity in a couple of different areas," said Kevin Murphy of the Murphy Hospitality Group (MHG), which announced last week it would begin selling groceries for pickup and delivery. 

Only four of the company's 20 restaurants remain open. Murphy said he wanted to help the many local producers who are accustomed to supplying those restaurants with everything from meat to bread to cheese and vegetables. He also wanted to hire back a few of the hundreds of staff he'd laid off, and to respond to customer demand for grocery delivery or pickup, which has been taking several days at larger grocery retailers. 

"How can we be part of the solution here? There's a real nervousness in the community of people going into grocery stores now," Murphy said. "We have the MHG delivery program in our system anyway, we have cars out on the road."

A team of four people has been re-hired to assemble online grocery orders in a large event space at the P.E.I. Brewing Company, and Murphy said they're getting the word out on social media. 

'Away we went!'

Fitness instructors Pam and Steve Collette closed the doors at 3rd Degree Fitness and Actual Nutrition in Stratford, P.E.I., a month ago, and literally overnight took their classes online, teaching via Facebook Live from their garage.

"We had to pivot fast," Steve said. 

"We loaded our members in and hit the live button and away we went!" said Pam.

They offer unlimited classes, and people have been taking two classes a day instead of one because they have time on their hands. Steve said the couple is getting "very fit" with all the classes they're teaching. 

They have tapped into new markets, with new clients joining from all over Canada. And the program uses no equipment, so it's perfect for clients working out at home. They are looking at improving the look of their online offerings with a more professional website, they said, so are applying to a new provincial government program for help. 

Salty, a monthly magazine for foodies on P.E.I., also shifted quickly to take its content online. In April it offered readers an online newsletter rather than its usual paper copy, for safety reasons.

"We felt a social responsibility to do that, we didn't want to have something that people were going to be going looking for," said editor-in-chief Cheryl Young. She said their readers are very loyal and have been happy to sign up for the newsletter. 

If you shut your doors for a year, you might not get those customers back.— Patricia McLean

"We're going to continue to modify as time goes on — every day brings new challenges and new concerns," she said. With many food businesses shut down due to COVID-19, she said one of those challenges will be finding things to write about that aren't related to the coronavirus.   

Will Salty return to a paper format when the pandemic is over? Young said that's their goal. "I love the smell of newsprint!" she said.

'Making some good choices'

The first week of April, the province announced a COVID-19 business adaptation and advice program under which businesses can apply for a grant of up to $2,500 to gather advice from accountants or marketers on how they could or should proceed.

"$2,500 is not a big amount in the whole scheme of things, but we just wanted to get some early thinking in strategies on how to attack this," said program administrator Shane MacDougall with Innovation PEI. 

"We felt that there was a lot of supports being put in place, but companies just needed a little bit of help and direction in making some good choices in planning in terms of what's best for their business," with the challenges COVID-19 is presenting, he said.

In less than two weeks, almost 300 Island businesses have applied for help under the program. The deadline to apply is July 31, but there is no total fund allocation so far. However MacDougall said many business owners who are calling to inquire about the program aren't sure if they qualify. 

"It is fairly open," he said. "What we are looking at is a direct link — link it back to how this is a COVID-19 issue and not just a regular issue you're dealing with." 

Most companies are looking for help with cash flow projections, learning online technology to move their companies to e-commerce, business coaching and more. 

MacDougall said he thinks Island businesses are good at quickly coming up with new plans, and this will help them weather COVID-19. 

"I think all of P.E.I. is fairly nimble compared to other regions and jurisdictions — we are small, we don't work on mass markets or anything like that ... we've always had to kind of be adaptable," he said.

'Continue to show up'

Cassandra MacKay with Inspire Social Studios was excited to see the province's adaptation program. She saw her own business take a hit due to COVID-19 — as businesses she worked with began to cut costs, one easy target was marketing.

"I've had to come up with new ways to keep my own business moving forward," she said. 

With help from Innovation PEI, MacKay quickly came up with a package to help other businesses. It includes strategy sessions, sample marketing posts and content ideas, and more. 

"I knew it was an opportunity for me to create something for me to be able to serve them," MacKay said. 

Her advice to businesses is not to go dark during the pandemic, but rather stay in touch with customers, keeping their tone light and perhaps adding some humour. 

"Don't just like ghost and stop doing what they're doing right now, because they have to continue to show up," she said. "It's super important that they keep momentum in their marketing and their social media right now." 

Isn't fudge essential?

Patricia McLean said she wants to continue to show up for regular customers devoted to buying her low-sugar Oh Fudge P.E.I. Potato Fudge.

"When you're a small business … if you shut your doors for a year, you might not get those customers back," McLean said. 

She also wants to take advantage of a new group of customers showing up within arm's length of her store on Main Street in Souris — walkers. More people than usual are out taking strolls, and are knocking at her door, looking to reward themselves with a sweet treat. 

"I've had so many people call me saying 'Please just let me in, it's only me!' and I'm like no, I'm sorry I can't,'' McLean said. 

She is in the process of building a Plexiglas door with a slide-through window so she can sell fudge without coming in contact with customers. She is also considering applying to Innovation PEI to talk over applying for an adaptation grant. 

"I'm just going to make do with what's been dealt," she said. 

'Focus on building the community'

Amy Seymour finds herself in a bit of a contradictory position. She owns Small Print Board Game Café in Charlottetown — a business built on the idea of getting out of the house to play board games in a social atmosphere. Now, they're trying to move services online for the duration of COVID-19.

She said the business hopes to stay connected to customers by hosting online events, such as the trivia they usually have at the café Saturday nights.

"We've even had people tuning in to play from the U.S., Scotland and Australia, although the prizes are reserved for P.E.I. players. It's been so fun to see some familiar names coming back week after week," Seymour said.

"While we might not be able to hang out together for a beer and a candy bowl for a while, we can at least focus on building the community and maybe even making a new friend or two."

She has also applied for the province's adaptation funding to help her sell and deliver board games and craft kits in the Charlottetown area. 

"We do still have rent and utilities that need to be paid while we move through this, so if we can find a way to keep the community engaged while exploring options for potential revenue to help us through, it would be a win-win!" Seymour said. 

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