OUR RESILIENT MANITOBA
When the first rumblings of the word “pandemic” started back in January, most Manitobans took it in stride. Nothing could prepare us for what was coming, and how quickly. Winnipeg businesses have learned that adaptability and patience in the face of unprecedented uncertainty— and, yes, sometimes panic—are crucial to business survival in the foreseeable future.
Tina Jones, Banville & Jones Wine Co. We are very grateful that we were allowed to stay open during the shutdown. Because everything was so uncertain, we decided to close retail traffic and moved our business to curb-side pickup and delivery. Watching restaurants shut down was like watching a bad movie: more than 50% of our business was affected. We’re hopeful that all of our restaurant partners will come back; unfortunately, this won’t be the case. We have re-opened retail with a new focus: shop local, globally. We have refined our wine selection to represent farmers and winemakers who we have built relationships with over the years and whose business values reflect our own: family-run, sustainable, producing quality wines for good value.
Jeremy Epp, IJL Because we made a decision early to keep the staff on, we invited people to come to work for 3 hours a day, and made the best of the time. We redid our entire inventory system, and added lots of new inventory to our website. Our in-house designer took the time to design a special line of pendants, the Aurora Collection, whose sales will support one of our favourite charities, Ronald McDonald House.
Jen Goreski, UN Luggage Laying off people that have worked for you for 20 years is heartbreaking. Even though the government said we could re-open, people who work in the downtown businesses are staying home. Restaurants, theatres, and bars are closed—there is no one walking by. We have our online store, and we are here every day for people who are travelling downtown specifically to shop here, but until travel starts again, we are just waiting and hanging on. 18 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com
