COVID-19 continues to impact local businesses, with some stores facing shortages in merchandise and employees coming down sick, on top of a normally slow time of year after the holidays.
When workers test positive or become exposed to COVID, business owners must find additional help, or in some cases, briefly close their store fronts. At Beautiquey in downtown Tahlequah, employees have been either getting COVID or have been exposed to it, requiring owner Bryn Smith and employee Diana Gordineer to put in additional hours.
The biggest issue, though, has been getting inventory. Smith said the store was cleaned out during the holiday season, and delays in receiving new merchandise have gone from one week to nearly four or five weeks.
“It’s been this way for everybody – our suppliers, manufacturers, they’re all impacted by it,” Smith said. “There was one order I was supposed to get the first week of January, and we hardly have any clothing in that line left. Supposedly it’s getting ready to be shipped, so the best case right now is still another week.”
Drew Felts, owner of Felts Shoes, said it’s been slow this month, but added that January is always slow.
“It’s slower than it was last year, but last year, we had COVID, too,” he said. “So is it slow because of COVID, or is it slow because people don’t have money? I don’t know. I think here in the next week or two, you’ll start seeing businesses get busier and busier, because people will start getting their tax money back.”
The pandemic has forced many major companies to shut down factories, which has created problems for small businesses like Felts. For months, around 200 factories in Vietnam that make sportswear for Nike were shut down until late 2021. So Felts said it could be July before he receives more Nike shoes.
“So we’re buying more of the other brands to try to have the inventory, but young people still like Nike,” he said. “So it will affect more the younger generation than it will the older customers. Nike is the biggest one, but all of the brands are having some problems.”
Too Fond of Books had to close for a brief period, shifting its operations to curbside only. The store is back to regular business hours, but staffers are keeping an eye on the Omicron variant, as it’s continuing to spread through communities.
“A small business has a small staff, so when one of us comes down with COVID, everyone else has to gather around and pull the weight of that other member,” said Manager Daniel Tye. “Both of us managers have come down with COVID, and then there’s been illness in the owners’ family, as well.”
Merchandise has also been an issue for the downtown bookstore. Tye said they’ve seen some delays getting popular books in, especially anime and manga books.
“There’s multiple reasons for it – a ton of the U.S. has been getting into manga, because it’s the hot, new thing to read right now,” he said. “Warehouses are having to pay employees more to keep them staffed, and then I think Omicron is spreading across the United States and people are out of work, so I think that’s causing delays in the transportation industry.”
The River Brewhouse, operated by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, announced its permanent closure last week. The decision was due to financial struggles associated with COVID-19, according to UKB Corporate Board Executive Director Woody Anderson.
“We started the business in late 2020, about the time COVID-19 hit, and it has been extremely difficult to maintain staff and deal with other challenges that this pandemic has presented,” Anderson said. “The board and management wish to thank the people of Tahlequah and beyond who came to the Brewhouse.”
The board and tribal leadership are reportedly exploring the next phase of operations for the building next to Walmart. Anderson said the tribe is developing a long-term strategic plan for the property that will benefit the UKB and the Tahlequah community.
