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www.thevillagenews.co.za
10 June 2020
Will Hermanus CBD survive Covid-19? Writer Hedda Mittner
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s the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic, business owners are finding themselves in the trenches fighting another war: keeping their doors open. “Many of us are teetering on our last legs,” says Noel Hunt of Hemingways in Harbour Road, one of the most iconic shops in Hermanus. “Our market is international clients from all over the world, and until our borders reopen, we are in a cleft stick. Without weekenders, visitors or tourists, who knows how many businesses will be able to survive.” Ian Macdonald of Lembu Gallery, also in Harbour Road, says the variety of speciality shops, galleries, restaurants and wine bars in town are a huge drawcard for visitors. “They are what make Hermanus so appealing,” he says. “The whales and fynbos are not enough – visitors also need to have a good time when it comes to shopping and dining out in town.” While more shops have been able to reopen under the Level 3 lockdown regulations that kicked in on 1 June, Ian and his partner Ed Bredenkamp, have taken the difficult decision to permanently close the doors of Lembu, as well as Forty X 40 Gallery. They have retained their workshop premises and are in the process of launching an online version of their
galleries. “We had no other choice but to adapt to the new reality we face,” says Ian. “Most of us in Harbour Road are dependent on tourists. The lockdown was a huge blow and at the beginning we thought, OK it’s going to be a tough winter, but it will all be over by spring. But now we know it’s going to take much longer and we’ve lost confidence in the future of Hermanus as a tourism town. “If the most iconic businesses start closing down, what is going to replace them? Many of these shops like Hemingways have been in Hermanus for decades and are irreplaceable. If uninspiring generic shops start taking their place, it will permanently change the character of the town.” According to Ian, the main obstacle for local businesses is the rental on their premises. With no income for over two months, he feels that many landlords are not acknowledging their tenants’ predicament. “Some have told their tenants to pay what they can and agreed to carry the outstanding rent forward, while others have reduced the rent for April, May and June – but that is no solution for businesses that have had zero income since the end of March and are struggling to get back on their feet.” Ian agrees with Louis Saaiman, the owner of Fleurs, that in the absence of tourists it is up to the locals to
PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer
support one another. “We are all in this together and we have to work together to survive,” says Louis, who reopened Fleurs on 8 June. “Before spending money with a national retailer, people should please consider supporting our town’s local independent businesses.” The impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality industry has been particularly devastating, with chefs and restaurant owners having to rely on the local market to keep going. “We are battling,” says Petri Hendriksz, owner of Char’d and Pear Tree restaurants at the Hermanus Waterfront, “but we have to stay positive and think out of the box.” Being permitted to provide meals for delivery since lockdown Level 4 (as well as a pick-up service since Level 3) was an opportunity embraced by several local restaurants, although Petri says this only generates about 10% of the sales they made before the lockdown started. Other initiatives by this well-known entrepreneur have included selling coffee to those who used the Level 4 morning exercise slot, a concept he’ll now be expanding to include aerobics classes and health shakes. “It creates a vibe and offers people an opportunity to have some fun,” he says. Apart from his special take-out menu and braai packs, Petri has now added wine, gin and beer to his offering, all of which can be ordered online via an app. Another project that he is in the process of launching is called ‘Save our Chefs’, which will be a collaboration with other local chefs such as Wander Bester of Char’d, Anton Verhoogt from Fisherman’s Cottage, and others, who will create a unique dining experience that can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Each one will create his own chef’s box that provides a two-course meal for four people, with all the ingredients (right up to condiments such as salt and pepper) and a step-by-step recipe for easy cooking at home. This community project will see the chefs receive a portion of the profits of every chef’s box sold at R550. Elizma Stemmet is another business owner who realised that now was
the time to explore different ways of doing business. Her popular clothing shop, One Love, had been trading in Royal Lane for 10 years before she closed her doors in favour of a home studio on 1 May. “I knew I had to adapt and try something new,” says Elizma. “I was in a position where I could not afford to pay more than 10% of my rent in the CBD for at least four to five months, but my landlady would not agree to that so I knew I had to make a plan. If you have staff members who are single mothers, you can’t just tell them, ‘Sorry, I can no longer employ you’.” Elizma is now continuing to trade from her home studio with her assistant, Bianca, where customers can shop in a safe and tranquil setting, even after hours, and enjoy a cup of tea. She also runs an online shop, which she launched two years ago. “I think it’s imperative for businesses to cut down on their overheads at this time,” says Elizma. “Without the visitors and tourists, all I can do now is try and stay on my feet until the situation improves. I can always open another shop again, but for now I am saving not only on rent but also insurance, security, telephone etc.” Online shopping seems to have become key to the survival of several businesses in town during this difficult time. One of them is Provenance in Main Road, where owner Eve Wilson says she’s done good trading throughout the lockdown. “As an essential services provider, I’ve continued to take online orders since 27 March,” she says, adding that if it had not been for her online shop her business would have been in much worse shape. “Online shopping is a very competitive environment and you have to really work at it, but for me it has definitely been worthwhile.”
Having loyal clients who are “hooked” on her products certainly helps and Eve says the support from locals has been “fantastic”. Now that the shop has reopened, she says she has fewer feet. “We don’t have as many people coming in just to browse, but my regular clients who know exactly what they want are still coming in. May and June are usually difficult months anyway, but my figures are only slightly down from this period last year.” Another business owner who is optimistic about the future is Brennan Davis of The Wine Glass, who says he and his partners are determined to “weather this storm” and have been using the lockdown as a period to explore options and formulate plans. Their main concern has been their staff. “We have tried to assist them as far as we can but they need their jobs and we are looking forward to seeing them all back at work again soon.” Brennan adds, “In many instances the landlords are being vilified but one has to realise that their rental income has also taken a hard knock. I think most are being as accommodating as possible, given the circumstances.” One thing is for sure: With domestic travel only likely to recover by the end of the year, while international travel may not resume before 2021, we as a community have to do everything we can to support local businesses if we want to preserve the landscape and character of our town. The last thing we want is for returning visitors to find a town they no longer recognise. That would not only be to the detriment of our tourism industry, but to every one of us living here.
