As the COVID-19 virus continues to sweep across the United States, small business owners are adapting their stores as much as possible to stay afloat. In small college towns like Canton, New York, the absence of students in the area adds a different dimension to the struggle. 

“Students are a huge part of our customer base,” says Rainbow Crabtree, owner of Nature’s Storehouse. “We miss seeing their youthful and healthy energy in the store.” Rainbow and her husband Joshua have owned Nature’s Storehouse since 2002. A small grocery store, they rely heavily on the local community for patronage, including local students from St. Lawrence and other nearby schools.

Other businesses are feeling the absence of student life in a more extreme way. Hailey Hodge, owner of Luna Clothing Boutique, has lost out on a major market with the departure from campus this past March. “This would be the time of senior week, formals, graduation, all things that students like to buy new outfits for.” 

According to a survey by Womply, an analytics company who tracks transaction data for small businesses across the country, student’s leaving Canton can have an extreme effect on some businesses. In 2019, the week of St. Lawrence’s spring break was one of the lowest for retail and restaurant sales, ranking 39th in the entire year. When students are gone from Canton, the ripple is felt across town.

So what happens when this absence is extended beyond one week, through the semester and into the summer? 

“In towns where we see the local economy go down for spring break typically, we are seeing them struggle even more now because the students are all gone,” says Brad Plothow, Vice President of corporate marketing at Womply. “The problem is when these businesses see sustained and significant decrease in income, or when they have no income, they increase a real risk of having to shut down… Most local businesses, and I’m sure this is true in Canton as well, they run on very thin margins and rely on a steady stream of traffic, and when they lose that they become vulnerable.”

Many local store owners feel the change when students leave, even if it doesn’t threaten their whole business. Beth Pier of NOLA’s General Store puts it simply: “We are making ends meet but no extra.”

The survival of each store resonates with the owners of others across town, as Pier explains. “The business owners are like a small family and we feel for those that are unable to stay open at this time. We worry about their viability and business continuity after this is over.”

Crabtree shares this feeling. While confident in the survival of Nature’s Storehouse, she recognizes, “we are part of a small community of local businesses and together we make Canton a vibrant and fun place to live.” Not every business in town was able to weather the initial scare, and one restaurant has already closed for good. As Crabtree puts it, “the loss of even one Canton business is a blow for the community.”

Many businesses have had to reimagine part or all of their business model to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and continue serving the community. At Nature’s Storehouse, a second phone line was added, hours of operation were cut, and intense sanitation measures were implemented to ensure worker and customer safety. They also began offering curbside pickup in March, eliminating in-store shopping for the time.

NOLA’s has made its own adjustments, aided largely by its original business structure. “We designed a store that had multiple streams of income in three areas,” Pier explains. “We have the general store that sells merchandise and candies, the restaurant that sells comfort food and the Ice Cream / Sno Ball shop that sells sweet treats and specialty coffee.” Recently, Pier has shifted her focus from the general store itself to the restaurant and ice cream shop, which have helped NOLA’s stay afloat. 

Hodge has made some more drastic changes to Luna than others, including now offering back porch pick up and specifically crafted outfits for customers to look through individually. However, these changes still leave the store short of its intended service.

“The reason that Luna is successful is the in store experience. People are used to coming in and taking their time browsing, catching up, talking about their styling goals, exploring undergarment ideas, and having me physically manipulate the clothes to make them fit the way that I imagined.” 

Beyond the retail industry, other businesses in the area have had a much more difficult transition. Brooke Rouse, owner of Grasse River Outfitters and 24 East Main Bed and Breakfast, says the adjustment has been harder for the BnB than the store.

“April and May are probably our biggest months, with sporting events, award ceremonies, research presentations, then graduations and reunions.” She describes the university’s closing and canceling events felt like “an immediate, overnight potentially 30,000 dollars gone.” 

More than just money is lost with the exodus, however. A St. Lawrence alum along with her husband, Rouse says the departure feels “like our extended family has been ripped away from us, too, at the BnB and especially the St. Lawrence family.”

Rouse has had to manage the crisis through not only her own personal business, but also in her other duties. She serves as the Executive Director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. Overall, she’s seen a strong response from the community.

“We’re always pushing, ‘buy local, buy local,’ and now people are calling asking ‘how can I help, can I make a donation, can I buy gift cards?’” The chamber has also helped more businesses transition into online commerce. They launched shopstlc.com, which allows businesses without their own websites to sell online and is available to all local businesses, and allows shoppers to buy from multiple stores at once. Rouse describes it as “a marketplace kind of like etsy that is specific to St. Lawrence county.”

Rouse believes if there are any positives to draw from this experience, one is what she describes as a “forced calming.”  It has provided residents, especially families with children, more time to do the things they just don’t have time for.” The chamber has encouraged people to safely explore trails and outdoor activities that are still open, while following public health guidelines. Rouse hopes this will help locals become better tourism ambassadors as they get to know the area better

Of course, some businesses have been forced to shut their doors entirely during the COVID-19 crisis. The Hoot Owl, like most bars and restaurants, has been unable to serve customers under state and guidelines.

“We started doing some projects at the bar while we were still allowed to, those of course have been put on hold,” says Paul Charleson, owner. He had been preparing to celebrate the bar’s 50th anniversary this summer, set for the weekend of July 31-August 1. Those plans are still tentative based on New York’s reopening plan. 

As a particularly beloved sight for St. Lawrence students, Charleson has felt the departure of students much differently than other businesses. “I feel for all the seniors,” he says. “Losing those last few months has to be rough.”

Despite the more drastic setback at the bar, Charleson remains confident in its status in town. “The Hoot will survive all of this and will open when we are given the okay!” 

As New York state and the country begin inching towards reopening, a return to something resembling normal feels close. While businesses and local officials continue to watch for updates and follow guidelines, they walk a fine line between survival and closing. Plothow from Womply provides a straightforward perspective:“It’s possible that students, when they return to a place like Canton, could see a different experience because a lot of local stores they knew have shuttered…  It’s really unclear at this point how much damage this is going to do.”

Nonetheless, optimism remains high throughout the community, as people offer their support throughout the community. “The North country community has been nothing short of overwhelmingly supportive. I feel honored to be a part of a community that values small business so deeply,” notes Hailey Hodge. “Even students have been reaching out from home to place orders or check in. I think this tough time has brought out a lot of good in others,” she adds. “It has shown the selfless nature of the North Country.”