AUSTIN, Texas — With an eye toward getting commerce going and money flowing, Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing for more businesses to adapt their operations to stay afloat. But some representatives of small businesses say making those adjustments is a heavy lift.
- Texas governor announced plan to reopen Texas
- Announcement follows president's orders to reopen economy
- Small businesses struggling to adjust
Abbott announced the first phase to reopen the Texas economy Friday; it comes a day after President Donald Trump gave governors a roadmap for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic.
"If the data continues to show a flatlining and then a decline of the number of people testing positive in the state of Texas, that is a signal that we can begin the process of opening up some businesses that adhere to the strictest strategies that will reduce the spread of the coronavirus," Abbott said.
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Under an executive order, starting on April 24 all retail stores should be able to reopen to provide product pickups and deliveries. Abbott said he wants “retail to-go” to look like what restaurants have done curbside, as customers still cannot go inside.
“Such businesses can be expanded throughout the entire retail sector, as long as the retail sector is adhering to the same safe practices that we see stores like H-E-B, Home Depot, and others,” Abbott said.
Mark Gibbs, buyer and designer for The Great Outdoors Garden Center, told Spectrum News having to change has been a complicated process.
“This has taken a toll on us, because showing folks the plants and seeing when their lights turn on, and how they respond to plant material, and what they like and don't like is a huge cue for us in how we can help them,” said Gibbs, who has been fielding many calls and answering questions form customers.
An image of The Great Outdoors Garden Center (Spectrum News)
The stay-at-home orders in Texas have cultivated a budding interest in gardening and growing. Gibbs said they were previously taking online orders and doing curbside pickup, but with fewer staff members on hand, they could not keep up with demand. The South Austin store has been closed and they had not been taking additional orders for more than a week, as team members work to build an e-commerce site.
“It’s so many folks taking pictures, so many folks trying to make sure what’s online. Making sure what’s going to work, what’s not working, why it’s not working. None of us are set up for that sort of technology, so it’s just like starting another business,” Gibbs said.
The Great Outdoors, like most small businesses across the state, is seeing decreases in revenue. As staff develops their website and they work to meet their existing orders, Gibbs said management is already thinking about how to maintain physical distancing once their doors reopen fully to their nearly two-acre site.
He said they are considering a number of options including doing appointments only, controlling the number of customers inside, or limiting how much time they spend there. Gibbs said he would ask clients to be organized when shopping, in an effort to maintain safety.
“We’re not going to make it slam, bam, jam. We’re looking at a good 30 minutes for each shopper to cue on what they want and pull it together,” he said.