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Cookstown spa owner fears small businesses won’t survive pandemic

'You have to support your small business or they will not be here,' says Alison Stewart

"If you don't support your local businesses, we may not be here for you when this is over."

That's the message Alison Stewart, owner and operator of Gratitude Day Spa in Cookstown, wants every Canadian to know as we battle through the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stewart opened her country boutique spa three years ago after leaving her corporate job in the city, becoming a mother and going back to school to learn esthetics.

"When my son came along, my priorities shifted," she said of the main reason for her career change. 

After working at various spa locations in the area, she realized that in order to make enough money to support herself and her family, she would need to open her own business. So she took a leap of faith, started searching for spaces to offer her services,  and fell in love with the charming house on Queen Street in Cookstown. 

"I remember coming here and looking... the price was good," she said about the space.

Its prime downtown location on the main street was also a draw for her. 

But over the years, she noticed that attracting clients was not as easy as she had hoped, noting the area has become more of a drive-through town with not a lot of foot traffic. Thankfully, she was still able to slowly build her clientele through social media and word-of-mouth referrals. 

"I came here with no clients," Stewart said. "I opened up on the Wing Ding Weekend and I was booked and it just sailed from there." 

Things were going well until March when COVID-19 hit and forced the province into lockdown. 

Like many other small-business owners, she was able to get by with the government's CERB payments and is thankful that her landlord has been has been understanding about payment deadlines.

She reopened in June with limited services and was able to get by with her regular clients over the summer, but as soon as October hit and COVID cases started to soar, she saw a huge drop in appointments. 

"People are back to not doing anything, staying home and quarantining," Stewart said. 

With more people working from home and not attending events, she says the demand for such services has dropped drastically.

She has been trying to think of new ways to bring in clients, recently adding relaxation services to her menu, including Indian head massages and guided meditation massage. 

Prior to the pandemic, Stewart would be seeing at least three to four clients per day, but now is only seeing a few per week. 

"And that's the frustrating part as a small business: you have to support your small business or they will not be here (after the pandemic)," she said. "And that's what a lot of people don't get. Businesses will shut down."

She understands the hesitation people may have about personal services, or venturing out in public, and likes the idea of ordering online. 

"But with the service industry, we can't put anything online," she said.

Stewart encourages people to consider purchasing gift certificates over the holidays to help small-business owners get through the pandemic hurdle. 

"Small business, you have to support them, because they don't have the support of the big-box shops," she said. 

"It's scary as a small-business owner and as a single mom; this is the most terrifying thing I've ever gone through because you have zero control at all. You just hold your breath and pray to God that you see the light and you make it through.

"And when you're in a small town like Cookstown, it's even scarier, because you don't have Barrie, Newmarket or Bradford (clients to rely on). This is it."

To learn more, visit their website here or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @gratitudedayspa01.


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Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
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