COVID-19: Beach businesses are trying to make the best out of a bad situation

Erin Horrocks-Pope: Posted March 29, 2020 | Last Updated: April 03, 2020

Like the rest of the world, Toronto's Beach community is feeling the overwhelming weight of COVID-19.

Schools have been shut down, families are adjusting to isolated living and many businesses have had to close their doors to loyal customers in light of social-distancing guidelines.

Scarboro Music, a Toronto icon since 1972, closed their doors on March 17, after Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a province-wide state of emergency.

"We felt the need to stand up in our community and say 'stay home'. The risk of the disease spreading was getting worse," said Josh Dieleman, Scarboro Music's sales and marketing manager.

Scarboro Music, Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue, March 26, 2020

"We felt we needed to help flatten the curve so we did the one thing we could do and closed up."

In addition to retail, Scarboro Music has stopped its in-person music lessons fpr the interim.

"We decided right away to take our lessons online, as well as our weekly jam session we run at the store," Dieleman said.

The team at Scarboro Music is working very hard to deliver incredible online content, he said. Teaching staff are creating videos that are "informative, educational and fun for everyone."

Making the shift to online content has been a learning curve for all businesses affected by the closure of non-essential services and wide-spread chaos.

Daphne Nissani, the owner of Boa Boutique, has been using the shop's Instagram account to stay in touch with her loyal customers to bring people together as an online community during these difficult times.

Boa Boutique's Beach location shut its doors to the public on March 16 in an effort to keep the community safe.

“We have been doing online auctions and virtual trunk shows,” Nissani said. “These have been possible with the help of our suppliers and innovative thinkers. The most important part of the success is the spirit and the gratitude people had for the distraction”

Boa Boutique, Wineva Avenue and Queen Street East, March 26, 2020

Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability to move their business to an online platform or shift to a work-from-home setup.

Ione Burns is the founder of Lovabulls Pet Care, a dog-walking and boarding service primarily working out of the Beach and Leslieville areas since 2018.

With the closure of public dog-parks in Toronto announced on March 25, Burns has been thrown an added curveball trying to maintain her business.

Ione Burns and the Lovabulls crew, March 26, 2020

"We can no longer go to off-leash parks so we're getting creative," said Burns. "We either bring them home or take them to open spaces like the beach."

A large part of why Burns' clients chose Lovabulls is the service standard of allowing for off-leash playtime and socialization with the dogs.

Burns counts herself lucky to have a yard with a space large enough for this playful crowd. Many who run dog-walking services may not have the resources to adapt to the recent dog-park closures.

With so many people staying home due to isolation policies, Burns has been facing a loss of jobs.

A large portion of income for Lovabulls is through boarding services. Due to travel bans and cancelled trips, all boarding requests have been withdrawn.

"I've had cancellations either for the reason of social-distancing or for the fact that clients are home and they dont need me."

Burns has made the shift for Lovabulls to provide contactless service in response to concerns about COVID-19.

"I pick the dogs up from the back yard and then drop them off again in the backyard. Or clients just send their dogs outside the front door and they run to the car," Burns said. "We don't even hand over leashes anymore. I have my own leashes that I put on the dogs."

Before COVID-19 began to affect business for Burns, she took out roughly 15-20 dogs a day, now she is only taking out 10.

Though Burns has been creative in adapting Lovabulls in every possible way she can think of, she is worried that she may need to close off her service for the unforeseeable future.

"I think soon I'm going to have to fully close," said Burns. "For the safety of everyone I might just do it."