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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,M ay 28,2020 theifp.ca sleep dentistry available New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Marketplace dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. Pick uP Delivery indian cuisine or 210 Guelph Street, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 4A9 905-877-9161 WWW.GeorGeToWNTANDoori.coM Delivery ndian cuisine GEORGETOWN TANDOORi 7 DAYS A WEEK11:00Am to 9:00Pm GEORGETOWN T WE ARE OPEN GEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORiGEORGETOWN TANDOORi A sense of normalcy be- gins to take shape as Onta- rio loosens some COVID-19 restrictions, but not all shuttered businesses have fully emerged from the lockdown slumber and some are still grappling with what it would mean to operate in a post-pandemic future. For restaurateur Jody Palubiski, shutting down his restaurants in March -- including the Beertown Public House in Burlington and Oakville -- was the "worst day" of his 30-year career. But the CEO of the Char- coal Group, which operates several restaurants across the province, said there's now a feeling of optimism, where the national discus- sions have shifted toward reopening the economy. "We're talking about how to get better and how to repair things. So that provides us certainly as a company with optimism as well," he said. Palubiski has been pre- paring to open the doors to their restaurants. To start with, they might run at a lower capac- ity -- possibly at 50 per cent -- to take into account physical distancing in din- ing rooms. "That's the first step in starting to get people back to work, getting the econo- my going and doing it in a way that people are still safe from a health perspec- tive (even if it means the firm losing a little bit of money)," he said. Gloves and masks and temperature checks are among the likely safety measures on the table. "You have to build com- fort and you have to take steps to now accommodate for new concerns and I think it's going to be up to a lot of the industry profes- sionals," he said. In Georgetown, Valerie Leachman, owner of wom- en's boutique The Way We Were, said businesses have to find ways to adapt to the pandemic. Like many oth- ers, she's taking her busi- ness online to make up for the loss of in-store custom- ers. "We're making enough that I can pay my phone bills and pay my internet, you know just basically keep the store alive, but we're certainly not making money," she said. With more retailers be- ing allowed to open by the provincial government, she said she'd be opening her consignment shop with limited hours and by ap- pointment only for a few weeks -- with a plan to in- stall Plexiglas barriers. Still, she said it will take months for small business- es like hers to recover -- if it happens at all. "It's a little scary, but we've been here going into our 11th year," she said, adding that the store has built quite a loyal customer base. Different businesses have different takes on the changing landscape. According to president and CEO of the Milton Chamber of Commerce, Scott McCammon, the in- genuity and creativity that they have shown through all the challenges have been amazing. "A lot of the businesspe- ople have found ways to survive," he said, though not necessarily thrive. "Ev- eryone is looking forward to this ending that they can get back to normal opera- tions." The chamber -- like oth- er similar organizations across Halton -- is doing its part by gathering and dis- seminating information that the business commu- nity needs, so that they're fully informed about not just safety requirements but also available subsidies and opportunities to help cope through the crisis. "We've been doing as much as we can," he said. Navigating the un- knowns has been "quite challenging" for Parul Pa- tel, who owns the Blo Blow Dry Bar in Milton along with husband Bijal. "I was completely heart- broken when we had to go ahead and lay off employ- ees being less than a year in. It's not something you want to have to deal with," she said. "It's important to do whatever we can ... to flatten the curve." Hopeful that she'd get to welcome back staff and customers by mid-June, the Milton resident said a different hair salon experi- ence awaits. The changes include limiting the num- ber of guests in the bar, having stylists and guests wear masks, and installing Plexiglas. "We're going to allow for time between appoint- ments now to let our staff to go ahead and do the disin- fection thoroughly before the next appointment," she said. Her hope is for the com- munity to continue to sup- port local establishments to build a stronger Milton. "There's a lot of small business in the area just like mine, this is our liveli- hood," she said. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With countless shuttered businesses just now starting to reopen, owners must adapt to the changing economic land- scape. NEWS REINVENTING BUSINESS IN THE COVID-19 AGE BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com Jody Palubiski works on new table distancing rules for when restaurants like Beertown Public House reopen. Graham Paine/Torstar "You have to build comfort and you have to take steps to now accommodate for new concerns." - restaurateur Jody Palubiski