THE CBD is starting to see more signs of life as businesses reopen in line with relaxed coronavirus restrictions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Eclectic on Anson Street reopened on Wednesday after being one of the first stores to close.
Owner Kerryn Westgeest said it had been a difficult few weeks but with restrictions eased to buy non-essential items, she could continue.
"With Mother's Day coming up, it was a good time to see if anyone was after those sorts of things," she said.
Ms Westgeest said she did open the store on request if people needed to make a purchase but there were limited sales.
One of the reasons why Australians came together in a good way was because of war - they forgot about politics and unfortunately we needed a bad tragedy to bring humanity back.
- Cheeky Barista owner Rodney Soo
"Everyone was in the same boat but with the government packages, that's helped to keep things so we could reopen rather than close completely," she said.
"I think people are trying to support local businesses - they might think there's nothing they really want, but they think it would be nice to purchase something."
The Cheeky Barista opened its doors on Monday with extra precautions.
Owner Rodney Soo said as an asthmatic, he decided to close on March 20, when travel restrictions were also coming into force.
"In the last three to four weeks [prior] a lot of regulars were sent home by their employers with a laptop," he said.
"A lot of people from Parkes and Forbes used to come into Orange the shop and they spent up - [our regulars] would get their usual sandwich, but out-of-towners would spend $50-60 so we were already feeling the pressure not having that income."
Mr Soo said during the time before the closure, stock costs also skyrocketed due to supply shortages.
"Chicken went from $7.30 to $10.50 or $11 a kilo and lettuce was $3.20 - normally it's $1.50," he said.
He felt the pandemic had been this generation's test of humanity because people were given the choice of whether to help each other or not, but he felt Orange had pulled it off.
He said a conversation with Origin Energy regarding his electricity bill had yielded unexpected results.
"The business manager reduced my bill from $3300 to $2600 and offered me a 12-month payment plan - he said to me, 'yes we know how tough it is'," he said.
"One of the reasons why Australians came together in a good way was because of war - they forgot about politics and unfortunately we needed a bad tragedy to bring humanity back."
Mr Soo said savings saw the business though the closure and he also applied to access his superannuation early, changing the shop layout and introducing restrictions on customer numbers to comply with restrictions.
"I miss having a routine and I miss the friends I've made through the business - one said, 'i can't give you a hug, but can I take a raincheck?'"
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below: