Hamilton businesses happy to reopen, hoping to bounce back from COVID-19 losses

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Sherry Garner to rethink what she grows, so on Monday she was among the first customers to pull up at the recently reopened Holland Park Garden Gallery on the hunt for supplies.

The mother of two is planning to plant a sustainable source of fresh food that will help her stay out of the grocery store while doubling as a way to keep her kids entertained.

"I'm realizing … it's about the mental health, it's about the science, it's about the learning, it's about the kids being in the ground and taking the seedling we planted ... and watching it grow and how extraordinary that is," she explained.

"I'm so excited to be [at] a garden centre … and not only that I get to be around adults," Garner added with a laugh. "It's amazing."

Staff at a short list of Hamilton businesses were back on the job Monday, setting out pylons, making sure customers kept their distance and adjusting to new protocols meant to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The province partially rolled back restrictions to allow some businesses previously considered non-essential — including gardens and landscaping companies — to reopen as long as they meet "strict public health measures and operate safely during the COVID-19 outbreak."

The Garden Gallery was just one of the nurseries and garden centres welcoming customers in Hamiton on Monday.

Staff were wearing masks and making sure to keep their distance, said nursery manager Aaron Heller.

Sales have been hurting so, even with the added complications, he was happy to be back at work.

"Obviously it would be a lot easier in a normal year to open the doors and let everybody in but it is what it is," Heller said.

"I'm just happy to finally open the doors again safely."

The customers seemed excited, too.

"Oh, they're happy, they're thrilled. They're fired right up to come in here and get back out in the yard," the manager added with a laugh.

Garner grew up on a farm and said she's looking to get her hands dirty again.

For her trip to the store she took some precautions of her own.

She brought a mask with her and said she keeps hand sanitizer in the car, but said everyone was keeping their distance and she didn't feel too stressed out being back at a business.

"I'm trying not to be afraid," Garner explained.

Phones are starting to ring

The province's announcement was also good news for landscaping companies like Sunny Skies Property Services in Dundas.

Owner Matt Bontje said the pandemic kept his team from carrying out much of its spring cleanup, meaning they're already behind.

Spring is typically the busiest time, he explained.

"Now, as a small business owner it's very challenging to catch up on everything because things don't stop growing."

He's hired two more employees to keep up, brining this size of his crew to seven.

Demand has been slower than usual too, with clients stuck at home doing their own yard work or those who are out of a job finding they can't afford help in the garden.

Bontje estimates he's seen at least a 20 per cent decline in revenue since the pandemic began.

No sharing tools and self-isolating at home

COVID-19 has led to other changes for landscapers too, the owner said.

He's put together a list of protocols to keep staff safe.

"We're taking separate cars to the job site to ensure distance, we're not sharing any tools, we have hand washing stations on site," said Bontje. "And also, within the crew we're making it mandatory that people are adhering to social distancing protocols at home as well, so that we're not risking any sort of infection or spread within the company."

Still, the phone is starting to ring and he's an optimist who seems determined to remain positive.

"I'm very happy to be able to be working again," he said. 

"I'm hoping that we're going to be back at where we were last year, even grow a little bit." 

Some construction projects, automatic and self-serve car washes and car dealerships were also allowed to open up again on Monday.

Like the garden centre and landscapers, sales have been down at Sterling Honda, said general manager Tony Reed.

"It's not good. We were basically down 85 per cent over last April."

The dealership's new protocols allow some customers into its showrooms for the first time in weeks, but are aimed at balancing those visits with overall safety.

"It's a good step to working back to where we were, so we're appreciative of that for sure," said Reed. 

"We're excited by this. It's a bit of good news for us."