Popina Swimwear was due to celebrate its 14th anniversary on March 17. Instead, owner Lulu Levenson and marketing manager Willie Levenson laid off their staff and closed the shop’s two locations on that day due to the coronavirus crisis.
Popina’s Hollywood District shop finally reopened Thursday, but the shutdown took its toll on the longstanding Portland swimwear company.
The business generated almost no revenue over the two-and-a-half months that its storefronts were closed, prompting the Levensons to look seriously at cost-saving measures. A week into the shutdown, they decided to permanently close their Pearl District location and focus their energy on keeping their larger Hollywood store afloat.
Before reopening, they set up new safety measures, put together a plan to offer curbside pickup and discounted their swimwear by 25%. But the Levensons still don’t know whether that will be enough to convince customers to return.
“We’re assuming the first week or two might be slow, but hopefully, the longer we’re open, the more confidence customers will have in the processes and safety measures that we’ve set up,” Willie Levenson said. “Only time will tell. There’s really no way to know what’s going to happen.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown allowed the retail stores that were shuttered by her March stay-home order to reopen on May 15. Some stores have opted to remain shut, while others have cautiously reopened with new safety measures.
Even in Multnomah County, the only county in the state that has not yet applied to enter Phase 1 of Brown’s reopening plan, all retailers are allowed to operate. But those that have reopened say that they aren’t seeing anywhere close to the same number of customers that they saw before the outbreak.
Pam Coven, the owner of Imelda’s and Louie’s Shoes, reopened her Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard shop on May 15 and partially reopened her Northeast Alberta Street store on May 22. Both stores are currently open to the public for limited hours and offering private shopping by appointment.
After a slow week, Coven said she discounted everything in the stores for Memorial Day weekend. That led to an uptick in traffic, but Coven said that revenue has still plummeted 70% to 80% since the outbreak started. She said it doesn’t help that Multnomah County has not yet entered Phase 1 and that customers don’t have a reason to flock to the Hawthorne district where many restaurants, bars and stores still remain shut.
Multnomah County officials said Wednesday that they are aiming to submit their Phase 1 reopening plan by June 5 and gradually lift the coronavirus stay-home order starting June 12. Bars, restaurants, gyms, malls, salons and other personal services will be allowed to reopen when Multnomah County is approved to enter Phase 1.
“The fact that Multnomah County hasn’t even applied to be open is adding insult to injury,” Coven said. “I don’t understand why they’re waiting. Many of the other counties that have applied and been approved are no further along on a lot of the requirements than Multnomah County is. … If they don’t do something soon, there’s no way people will be able to get through this.”
Sandra McDonough, the president and CEO of Oregon Business & Industry, which advocates for the state’s business community, said that retailers in parts of the state that have entered Phase 1 have seen a slow increase in business, but that customers remain cautious about going out and it will take time for many retailers to see a significant uptick in sales.
“What we’ve see in the other counties is people start stepping out," McDonough said. "People start going to restaurants. Once that signal comes, you’ll start to see a gradual increase in activity. What I’ve heard from friends and members is that people are really hungry for that human activity, so we’ll see it. ... We just need to start educating Oregonians on what the new normal is and help them start building the confidence that they need to safely go out.”
Coven, who has owned Imelda’s and Louie’s Shoes for 26 years, has been able to negotiate payment plans with her vendors and landlords due to the coronavirus crisis. She also received a Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government, which has enabled her to make payroll and pay her bills. But that money will run out in June, leaving her business in a difficult position if sales don’t pick up soon.
While Coven remains optimistic that her business will be able to survive the crisis, she said it won’t be easy.
“Unless things pick up in a significant way in the next three weeks, I don’t know,” Coven said. “We hope that the community continues to show up and support us. I have amazing customers, loyal customers that want us to be around.”
Still, many customers feel differently about shopping than they did before the coronavirus outbreak, and it is unclear when, or if, that will change.
Carey Deza, the owner of Black Wagon, a children’s store on North Mississippi, said that customers are continuing to shop online or request private shopping appointments and that her store has seen only limited foot traffic since it reopened on May 15. She said 50 to 75 people would usually stop by Black Wagon on a typical weekend day before the outbreak. Now, she said she would be happy if 10 people came into the store in one day.
Portland businesses can now apply for permits to convert sidewalks, street parking and potentially entire blocks into car-free zones, something Deza said could be critical in helping customers feel comfortable about once again shopping. But the city transportation bureau stressed that the permits will be tied to the county’s reopening timeline.
In the interim, Deza is focused on doing whatever she can to prevent Black Wagon from having to close its shop and move entirely online.
“I hope that we can still be a brick and mortar at the end of this,” Deza said. “I like having that connection and those relationships with the customers.”
McDonough said that certain retailers, such as home improvement stores and bike shops, remained relatively busy during the coronavirus shutdown as people attempted new projects and activities.
But other stores had a tougher time as retail sales nationwide plummeted by a record 16.4% from March to April. Some of those stores may have to wait longer for business to return as well. Clothing stores, in particular, could face a challenge as people continue to work from home and avoid large gatherings.
Erica Lurie, the owner of Garnish, a boutique in the Pearl District, said that customers have told her that they don’t feel as if they have a place to wear new clothing right now. Still, Garnish has been able to generate revenue over the last two months by pivoting to selling cloth masks online.
Lurie estimates that 75% of her business is still coming from the sale of masks, even though her storefront has been open since May 16. Those sales helped Garnish enjoy a strong April, but the shop has struggled a bit more in May. Yet, Lurie remains confident that Garnish will make it through the coming months thanks to her loyal customer base and her willingness to adapt.
“You don’t make it through 16 years without making a lot of changes and adapting,” Lurie said. “We’ll make it through, but it won’t be for a lack of grit and determination.”
-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg
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