As COVID-19 continued to spread this week and the state of emergency deepened, the look and feel of the hamlet of Oyster Bay has changed, especially on the water. Before Monday, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all restaurants closed except for takeout service, baymen could be spotted amid flocks of cawing seagulls, harvesting shellfish from their boats in the harbor. But not anymore, Bill Painter, president of the nonprofit North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association, explained, because no one will buy the clams.
“My guy at the Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan said they’re trying to get rid of what they have,” said Bill Fetzer, a baymen from Bayville. “Because the restaurants are shut down, they can’t sell it. We’re done.”
The gravity of the situation hit home for Painter, he said, when he was driving to his Bayville home earlier this week on the Long Island Expressway. “Those big overhead signs said, ‘Stay home. Save a life,’” he said. “That’s pretty harsh.”
The baymen have been struggling for 10 years. “We only have 30 guys left in NOBBA now, and no one is working,” Painter said. “This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Deborah Orgel-Gordon, founder of the North Shore Biz Network, which organizes business networking events, said the ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, also announced by Cuomo on Monday, is causing a ripple effect among area businesses. For instance, she explained, both a florist and a caterer would lose out if a wedding were canceled.
Vinny Moscato, the president of the Bayville Chamber of Commerce said life is difficult right now for businesses, and he suspects it will only get worse.
“All businesses will suffer no matter how small they are,” he said. “It will be a tough time but we have to get through this and maybe we’ll be the better for it. There is no help for small businesses in Bayville yet. We have to see if the government comes up with some programs.”
Gabrielle Fumai, owner of Sorelle, a high-end consignment store for women in Oyster Bay, closed on March 11, before Cuomo’s news conference.
“People thought I was nuts,” Fumai said. “I read a lot about the virus and I thought that health is more important than wealth. I just think there’s a time and a place for everything. I didn’t want to put people in harm’s way.”
Steve Warshaw, president of the Gold Coast Business Association, said it was possible that all businesses would take a significant hit because of the virus. When people stay home, he said, many businesses have no way of making money. “It’s affecting everyone, because we’re a service-based economy, mostly,” Warshaw said, “so when you aren’t providing a service and people aren’t paying for the service, there are financial repercussions.”
Warshaw said the stress — or panic — that people are feeling is a result of the wall-to-wall news coverage of the virus’s spread across the country. He said he was confident, however, that the government has people’s best interests in mind, and would act to ensure as limited a financial hit as possible. Relief programs, such as a federal freeze in mortgage payments, would help people stay afloat, Warshaw said, and also help alleviate the stress.
Ryan Schlotter is the co-owner of the Oyster Bay Brewing Co. and the president of the Chamber of Commerce. He has a tasting room at his Audrey Avenue business and is also a distributor to bars and restaurants.
“I’ve been getting contacted from the yoga studio to restaurants to find out if I know more than they do,” Schlotter said. “I’ve seen posts online from businesses nearby that if this lasts more than two weeks, they won’t be able to operate anymore.”
He is aware of federal loans for fledging small businesses, he said, but is not sure that more debt would be a possibility for those that are struggling.
“This is a huge stress on all local businesses,” he said. “I recommend people order takeout and shop local. I can’t imagine if this goes on for a month or two what will happen.”
Patricia Schutz, a co-owner of Gemelli Gourmet Market North in Glen Head, said she was in constant communication with the small suppliers with whom she has formed close relationships, facilitating the consistent restocking of shelves in her store.
“We’ve seen an increase in business due to the virus because people are worried about food,” Schutz said. “If there’s going to be any shortage of food, we’re trying to accommodate all our customers and new customers coming in, because where they’ve been shopping has been running out of food. We’re a family business, and we’re very accommodating.”
Schutz said that she and her staff were constantly sanitizing the market, making sure they and their customers run the lowest risk of exposure to the virus as possible. Additionally, she said, accommodating customers is as important as ever now, so Gemelli makes sure it constantly has “grab and go” dinners available and, fulfills orders as quickly as possible. “We’ve always understood the customer comes first,” Schutz said.
Michael Amendola, owner of the Village Wine Merchant in Sea Cliff, said his store would remain open as long as possible, although he has adjusted its policies. Customers are now encouraged to take advantage of curbside pickup, he said, by placing orders on the phone. But when customers do come into the store, he and his staff will handle the bottles they want to see to make sure there is as little physical contact as possible.
Mike Carrozza, owner of Bayville Wines & Liquors, said his store was busy because of the closure of bars and restaurants. But that didn’t make him happy, he said, because others were suffering.
Like Amendola, Carrozza said he is committed to keeping his store sterile. “I’ve literally been wiping doorknobs after every customer leaves,” he said. “I wipe down the counters and the bottles, too.”
Ever Padilla, president of the North Shore Hispanic Chamber, said one of his biggest concerns was not knowing how long the crisis would last. “It’s a very difficult time for businesses — for everybody,” said Padilla, adding that especially now, local businesses need residents’ support.
Warshaw said it was up to residents to make sure they come out of this outbreak united and as strong as possible, which will help businesses, too. “The key here is that everybody must be considerate of not just their family, but of their neighbors, and vice versa,” he said. “That’s what’s going to get us through this thing.”
