culture | small businesses
CLOSING SMALL BUSINESSES Spark interviews local small businesses in the Liberty Township area that have been affected by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s Stay at Home order story mia hilkowitz | art rachel anderson
F
or years, Niederman Family Farm has been a staple in the Liberty Township and West Chester community. Hundreds of families visit for birthday parties, field trips, and weddings, or to play around at the farm’s Paintball Country. But this spring, the once-bustling establishment is completely empty. Niederman Family Farm is one of Ohio’s over 940,000 small businesses that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Following Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s March 22, 2020 announcement ordering the shutdown of “non-essential business,” Niederman Farm acted quickly to adapt to the regulation. Owner Bethann Niederman described the chaos of the ensuing hours. “The first thing we thought about was the birthday parties that were already booked to have a party at Paintball,” Niederman told Spark. “We had to call right away and say ‘I’m so sorry,’ and that was heartbreaking because families had plans to make memories with us, and we had to break those plans.” Niederman’s next concern was for their farm’s employees. “The next thought was, ‘oh my goodness
36 lakotaeastsparkonline.com May 2020
if we can’t open we have to contact all the staff and say ‘I’m sorry we don’t need you this weekend,’’” Niederman said. “They’ve all had to go home because there are no people or parties on the weekends.” Niederman Family Farm was not alone in this. According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the total number of statewide unemployment claims made in the three weeks leading up to April 4, 2020 was 696,519, doubling the number of claims made in all of 2019. Currently, the Cleveland Clinic predicts that COVID-19 cases in Ohio will peak in mid-May to June and start to gradually decrease in July. A projection like this leaves Niederman and many other local small businesses worried for upcoming months. “The concerns that we’re looking at now are for the future,” Niederman said. “What does it mean about our spring? What about the events we have booked in the summer? Fall is our largest season here on the farm, so how will that affect business [in the fall]?” In addition to entertainment aspects of the establishment like Paintball Country, field trips, and parties, Niederman Family Farm
operates a farm that both grows crops and takes care of farm animals. Under the Ohio stay at home order, implemented on March 22, farms are considered essential businesses and continue to operate. But Niederman feels that shutting down one part can still affect the rest of the farm, as well as surrounding businesses. “There are no people or parties on the weekend, so I don’t have the need for [supplies], affecting the companies or businesses that we order from,” Niederman said. “I don’t need to order jams, jellies, or pizza because there’s nobody here.”
T
his ripple effect is an issue concerning the entire country. In hopes of minimizing the economic fallout from the pandemic, a $2 trillion economic stimulus has been passed by Congress that aims at helping small businesses grapple with the financial obstacles to come from the long term closure. But until the stimulus takes effect, small businesses are finding new ways to adapt to social distancing regulations and closures. Crossfit Ironside Owner Melissa Anguiz said her business is adapting to the change. “We’ve been putting out workouts every
