By Mackenzie Edwards, Staff Writer

Congratulations! Opening a business is a great achievement. You planned to start your new business in the new year, and after working so hard to open the store, you are forced to close only a couple of months later.

Closing your business due to COVID-19 was definitely not in the plans, and many business owners sure didn’t expect everything to shut down for seven months.

“I think initially we all thought, ‘four weeks and we’re gonna be out of it.’ That didn’t happen,” Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Karen Brown said. “Of course the restaurants all shut down immediately because they had to, and so did the retail. All that shut down and then started to open when they were allowed, at a reduced capacity.”

Many other businesses, such as gyms, movie theaters, trampoline parks and other larger indoor facilities were not permitted to open, even with a reduced capacity, until Phase three of reopening under Gov. Roy Cooper’s plans to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Many businesses were forced to find alternative ways to reach their customers because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Roanoke Island Fitness Lab is a gym in Manteo that opened in early January of this year. However, they couldn’t open their doors until Phase 2.5 went into effect in September.

One of the strategies they used because of the closure was virtual classes and instructional videos that were posted on social media and emailed to members. But that’s not the only thing they did to help.

“We have all Rogue equipment barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells that we loaned out to our members so they could do the workouts that we were putting out,” manager Amanda Savage said. 

This type of alternative didn’t work for all businesses and in some cases, they had to stay closed. For instance, Jumpmasters Trampoline Park didn’t have any camps or any programs available to the public during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“We just didn’t find that we could make a profit during that process just because of the cost of our insurance and bills,” Jumpmasters owner Brent Johnson said.

When North Carolina moved into Phase 2.5, the businesses with larger buildings were finally allowed to open under the state’s restrictions after seven months of being closed. This new phase allows businesses that haven’t already been open to reopen at 30 percent capacity.

Roanoke Island Fitness Lab offered classes both inside and outside, which gave them a larger occupancy range. They rotated people in and out of the building, sanitized in between guests and made sure that they never went over 30 percent. 

Some businesses, such as Jumpmasters, decided to reduce their capacity even further than the mandatory 30 percent for the safety of the guests. 

“We know that there might be 20 jumpers in the park but you might also have 20 parents watching instead of jumping,” Johnson said. “So just to ensure that we weren’t basing all of our numbers on jumpers, we try to mitigate it to make it safe for our employees and for the customers.”

In addition to the reduced capacity, many places are also supplying hand sanitizing stations all around the building. They are also constantly cleaning frequently touched surfaces throughout the day. 

“My staff and I are constantly cleaning the gym. We encourage our members to clean their equipment before they use it and always after they use the equipment, with all EPA approved cleaners that we know are COVID-tested,” Savage said. 

So even now that these businesses can finally open, it still won’t look “normal” for a while. 

“Businesses are still under strict restrictions. You’re closed for six months, how do you survive that?” Brown said.

Sophomore Mackenzie Edwards can be reached at 23edwardsma78@daretolearn.org.