Local businesses fear for their survival after surge in omicron cases

Upper West Side NY

21 January, 2022

3:54 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY CHARLOTTE BUTTENWIESER • JANUARY 20, 2022, 10:42 PM As the omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly around the world, local businesses in Morningside Heights are facing staffing shortages, fewer customers, and uncertainty for the future. Not only are business owners challenged with keeping their businesses staffed and their employees safe, they also fear a potential loss of customers––a worry which was exacerbated after Columbia announced that the first two weeks of the spring semester would be conducted virtually. Restaurants and local community members were reminded of the start of the pandemic, when students first emptied off of campus. "When the pandemic emerged, we started to see severe impacts on the local businesses, and some of them started to close. We were extremely alarmed," said Dan McSweeney, Morningside Heights Community Coalition member and a founder of Morningside Merchants, an emerging small business association. Tom's Restaurant, a local diner that has been open for over 70 years, had never been through anything as damaging as the pandemic. Michael Zoulis, owner of Tom's, remembers his stressful experience as the city's restaurants first closed for indoor dining. "[Back then I thought] if we don't get any sort of help, we will probably close down. There were moments last year where I thought, 'I don't think we're going to be able to survive this,'" Zoulis said. "I just wanted to get up and leave. I couldn't take it anymore. It was so stressful." However, with various sources of support and students' return to campus, businesses surrounding Columbia began to see growth again in fall 2021. At the beginning of the pandemic, the New York City Department of Small Business Services contacted Morningside Merchants and encouraged the organization to apply for a grant to help businesses weather the pandemic. Morningside Merchants received a grant of $20,000, which was then distributed to businesses around Columbia. Columbia leases property to many businesses in the area, including The Shoe Tree, a local shoe store on Broadway. After receiving support from Columbia to remain afloat, the store was able to stay on its feet until students came back to campus in fall 2021. "Columbia helped us out with our rent for a year. They're our landlord and really were helpful," said Karen Dixon, one of the owners of The Shoe Tree. "Also, we applied for all the possible government grants that we were eligible for, and we were able to secure some of that as well. Without that, we wouldn't be here." According to Zoulis, Columbia also provided support to Tom's, and the diner's need for additional support waned in August and September as students returned to campus. "Columbia University helped us a lot. … They gave us a couple months on the rent so there were a couple months we didn't pay anything," Zoulis said. "So they have been very helpful throughout this whole thing, because if it wasn't for them, I don't think Tom's was going to be around any longer. You wouldn't be talking to me right now." V&T, an Italian restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue that has also been in the neighborhood for over 70 years, is not one of Columbia's tenants, but has received some support from the government and community members. "No, unfortunately [Columbia is not our landlord], we wish," Anthony Gjolaj, owner of V&T, said. "We've received some [support] from the government. Columbia has been giving us business over the years, so in that sense, they supported us. Locals have been supporting us. A combination of that stuff has gotten us through." With rates of new cases rising to all time highs, businesses are contending with extreme staffing shortages and the precarious state of Columbia's full reopening. "You know, there's been the normal flight of the students during break time. But this has been a little worse, this has been more challenging for the business, because now there's a sense of uncertainty about what is going to happen," McSweeney said. "I wouldn't say that there's the same sense of urgency [that] existed during the first couple waves of COVID. But it's certainly noticeable." This particular wave of the new omicron variant has seen staff shortages make a greater impact than ever before. "We have such a small staff that if one of us got it, we would have to close the store," Dixon said. "And that would affect us greatly." Zoulis said that if more of his staff were to become infected with the coronavirus, Tom's would have to shut down. Tom's has maintained its typical hours despite the surge in cases, forcing many employees to work more hours than usual and cover their coworkers' shifts. In addition to staffing issues, businesses are facing higher prices for goods. Zoulis estimates that he is paying 50 percent more for wholesale goods, which––when combined with fewer customers––creates yet another challenge. While V&T has not experienced many staff shortages, the restaurant has seen fewer customers than usual. "We definitely felt that people were fearful coming inside. We had more takeout delivery. I definitely felt it a lot. I think it was the slowest January we've ever had," Gjolaj said. Some businesses are still hopeful that students will soon come back to campus if they have not already, despite classes being virtual. Zoulis anticipates that most students will return and hopes that Columbia does not prolong the virtual period. Gjolaj, however, believes that Columbia's two weeks online will negatively affect business. "Obviously [I was] upset from my perspective, as a business owner. I know it's going to negatively affect business in the area," Gjolaj said. "We put up with it, I think for a full year, a year and a half. And then we thought that would be the end of it, you know." Still, he believes that V&T's delivery and takeout capacity will sustain it through the omicron wave of coronavirus. While The Shoe Tree does not receive the majority of its customers from Columbia's student population, the shop has also noticed that fewer people are purchasing winter boots than what is typical for this time of year. "It's not a measurable effect, because I don't know if the snow or the lack of snow had anything to do with it in December," Dixon said. "Because December was very slow for us. And I don't know if it was omicron or [if] it just wasn't cold enough." Regardless of the reason for slow business, The Shoe Tree benefits from the extended Columbia community, such as the families of University faculty. Thus, Columbia's reopening will be significant for the store, as well as many other businesses across Morningside Heights. "We're so glad you guys are back," Zoulis said. "If you guys weren't here, we wouldn't be here." Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.