Local shoppers boosting business in HP

Richard Froese
South Peace News

More local shoppers are helping many small businesses in the High Prairie area survive and thrive as the corona-virus pandemic enters its eighth month.

Many stores were hard hit by the lockdown when the pandemic started in mid-March.

Some owners relocated their businesses to their homes while other closed shop.

Several are recovering and now on the rebound.

“We are busier than normal,” says Tracy Sherkawi, owner of Glamour and Gear.

“I want to thank local people for shopping local, which has kept many local businesses able to remain open during the pandemic.

“If the trend continues that people stay and shop close to home, I think it will be a better Christmas for sales than in the last two years.”

Business has been strong in the past several months.

“I know a lot of local people who used to shop in bigger communities are now shopping local,” Sherkawi says.

She says sales in fishing equipment “just exploded” in the summer because most people couldn’t do other activities that were restricted or cancelled because of COVID health orders.

A-1 Western Wear Tack and Gifts owner Teresa Yanishewski says she is seeing customers continue to shop in local stores.

“We, at A-1, are definitely in difficult times,” Yanishewski says.

“However, we find ways to bring in what our customers ask for and offer it to them at competitive prices.”

The store has also won back customers.

“We are experiencing a lot of unsatisfied online shoppers happy to return to our store,” Yanishewski says.

“We strive to make our customers shopping safe and pleasurable with COVID rules.”

She expects business will build in the next few months.

“We are confident that we will have a busy winter and Christmas shopping season,” Yanishew- ski says.

Business at Red Apple store is also growing as more local people shop in High Prairie rather than out of the region.

“COVID has impacted our business positively,” store manager Kelsie Turcotte says.

“More local people are shopping here and in other local businesses.”

She says that’s good news for High Prairie businesses and the region.

“Our local community has become stronger,” Turcotte says.

Growing revenue has also allowed the business to add jobs.

“We have more staff,” Turcotte says.

Red Apple hired students and players on the High Prairie Red Wings junior A hockey team.

The store also supports local businesses and schools by providing discounts for hand sanitizer, Turcotte says.

The Boondocks Grill restaurant has also hired more staff to meet the growing business, owner Ali Mouallem says.

“We have more staff now that what we had a year ago,” Mouallem says.

He currently employs 23 people after the staff was cut to eight in the first six weeks of the pandemic when the restaurant was restricted to take-out orders only.

“Business has been good since were we able to open for dining inside June 1,” Mouallem says.

“Take-out is still busier than ever.”

More than local customers are boosting business.

“There seems to be a lot of work crews still in town, so that helps,” Mouallem says.

However, business in some stores is down due to COVID-19.

Fields reports business remains down since the pandemic started.

“It has slowed down quite a bit,” store manager Tracy Paddon says.

“Some days we run off our feet, then the next two or three days are very quiet.

“Sales are fluctuating up and down.”

She trusts business will pick up in the coming weeks.

“I hope it gets more steady for the Christmas season,” Paddon says.

“We hope more local people shop local.”

H&S Dollar Store has rebounded since the start of the pandemic.

“It’s business as usual,” store owner Shaun Poole says.

“We’re still on reduced hours and a limit of six customers at a time.”

He trusts business will increase in the coming weeks.

“I’m hoping for the best in the Christmas season,” Poole says.

He also wants to see the light at the end of the tunnel for COVID.

“I’m looking forward to the end of this and we can have some normalcy,” Poole says.

RX Drugs in downtown High Prairie has not seen any slowdown in business since the pandemic was announced March 11.

“COVID hasn’t really hurt us,” store manager Joyce Cunningham says.

“We’re maintaining a good level of business as we did before COVID.”