As a small business owner and a nonprofit manager, Michele Rose has had a lot of difficult decisions to make lately.
Rose, co-owner of The Crafty Mercantile, said she closed The Crafty Mercantile on March 13, before the order came down from the governor; however, the store, which sells arts and crafts, guitar strings, homeschool products and jewelry repairs, is now open by appointment.
“We have worked out a whole procedure of noncontact, from door knobs to product and sanitizing each step,” she said. Rose said that the store is offering discounted gift certificates “as a show of faith that we will be here past the crisis,” and is a way to support local businesses in hard times.
“Despite what is going on out there, art is never canceled and is a great activity for kids who are home from school,” Rose said.
She is also the executive director of The Opal Center for Arts and Education and said they had to cancel and postpone all planned programs.
The Trashion Show (the popular recycled materials fashion art show), has been put off. The play “Walter Chronkite is Dead” was scheduled in May and has been postponed.
“There is so much outside of our control, we just don’t know how to plan,” Rose said. The summer camp is still on the calendar, “but we have no idea of what things will be like when the time gets here. And although the banner is up, Art Walk is canceled until further notice.
She is thinking ahead for when things change, but doesn’t expect to see an immediate bounce-back.
“It will take time,” she said. “There are a lot of people laid off and out of work. But I am staying positive that we will all come through this as a stronger, more unified community.”
