March 29, 2021
By Justin Mayewski
Staff Writer
Covid-19 has negatively affected lives all around the world, and small businesses have specifically felt the effects. These are the local businesses that you get your favorite pizza from, drink at the bar or maybe your favorite spot to meet up with some friends. Due to the pandemic, these areas are no longer the same, as the effects have taken a toll on everyone.
Sophomore Natalia Ferrulli shared some insight on the business struggles her father went through due to COVID-19. Ferrulli’s father owns Uncle Vinny’s, a local bar and grill on Ridge Road.
“My dad’s business was forced to close down for over six months,” Ferrulli said.
Owners experiencing any sort of closure create a loss of income. In this situation, financial struggles were present.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN MAYEWSKI Uncle Vinny’s Bar & Grill is located on 37 Ridge Road in Lyndhurst.
“Being closed was an obstacle because my dad couldn’t bring in any money but still had monthly bills to pay,” Ferrulli said.
Covid-19 has kept most people from advancing in the financial aspect.
Freshman Matteo Morelli’s father owns the iconic Vinnie’s Mootz on Ridge Road. He shares the struggle of constantly going back and forth between rules and guidelines issued by the governor.
“[There was] lack of communication throughout this pandemic. It was not easy to go back and forth listening to the gov[ernment],” Morelli said.
“The major obstacle… is the fear of the unknown.”
Following constantly changing guidelines can certainly be a struggle for small business owners. Some small businesses have resorted to online delivery sources in hopes to better their profits.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN MAYEWSKI Vinnie’s Mootz is located on 265 Ridge Road in Lyndhurst.
“We do not use any online delivery,” Morelli said.
In many cases, the fees and bills to host online delivery sources within a business are not worth it. Meanwhile, for other small businesses, it works spectacularly. All small businesses have their individual and different struggles due to the pandemic. However, all have the same common goal of rebuilding their business back to its full potential in success.
LHS Nurse Mrs. Nowinski and her husband Marty own Marty Gras on Schuyler Ave.
“The major obstacle… is the fear of the unknown,” Nowinski said.
For all owners not knowing what the future holds is truly terrifying, especially after knowing the struggles. Most small businesses have experienced a reopening after being closed for months when the pandemic first started.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN MAYEWSKI Marty Gras in located on 601 Schulyer Ave. in Lyndhurst.
“Owning your own business is very stressful alone in itself. The Covid guidelines for bars and restaurants made it much more difficult,” Nowinski said.
The amount of safety precautions set forth by the governor has truly made it difficult for a business to run, bars especially. But the most important issue that needs to be addressed is the safety of customers and employees. Workers should feel safe going to work and customers should feel safe in the environment.
This catastrophic Covid-19 pandemic is an issue that will continue to be an irritation and burden to small businesses around the globe. But hopefully, the toughest part has already passed and the economy can begin to grow and rebuild itself from this point on.
