Barbara Lauberth almost didn't reopen Barbara's Boutique when Missouri's stay-at-home order expired. The coronavirus has been a "financial devastation" for her business, she said.
It was a tough choice, but after reopening last week, Lauberth said she doesn't regret her decision.
"I have missed them (the customers) so much that it just brought tears to my eyes when I reopened," she said.
Despite financial hardships, several local businesses reopened after state and county stay-at-home orders expired, and their owners are determined to stay afloat.
Barbara's Boutique, at 674 U.S. 63 in Westphalia, reopened Wednesday after closing its doors March 24.
Spring prom and wedding seasons are Lauberth's busiest times, but many of those occasions have been rescheduled or canceled.
Lauberth estimated the store lost $54,000 total in gross sales between March and April.
That financial blow isn't stopping Lauberth. She plans to push more products on social media and reach out for community support.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure my doors stay open for my girls," she said. "I am going to fight until I can't fight anymore."
Prom and wedding cancellations and rescheduling also had a significant financial impact on Samuel's Tuxedo & Gifts, at 236 E. High St. in Jefferson City.
Owner Sam Bushman estimated the store has lost about a quarter of a million dollars because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The decrease in sales will have a harsh impact on the city's and county's sales taxes, said Bushman, who is also Cole County's presiding commissioner.
"At the end of the year, we'll still be down because we've had some that are just canceled or they had a small, small wedding with family," he said. "I've got probably seven or eight weddings that rescheduled for next year, so that's revenue we won't see this year but we will next year."
After reopening April 25, when Cole County's stay-at-home order expired, business was slow the first week, Bushman said. When more businesses opened last Monday after the state's stay-at-home order expired, foot traffic started to pick up.
"We're glad to be open and have customers again, and we'll just keep moving ahead," he said.
After closing Amie B and Me on March 21, owner Terri Plank reopened the business April 25. She had already missed a large chunk of the planting season.
Plank estimates she lost about $40,000 because of the closure.
Walk-in traffic has been up and down since reopening Amie B and Me, at 3004 W. Truman Blvd. in Jefferson City, and Plank said she hopes to make up for some of that lost revenue.
"I'm a fighter, and I'm trying my best to survive," she said.
In the Groove Records, at 626 Jefferson St., also reopened April 25 after closing March 19. Owner Jamie Rector said walk-in traffic has been off and on over the last couple of weeks, with mainly regular customers stopping in.
"People are using common sense, and there's plenty of room in the store for people to stay separated," he said. "There's different sections in the store that people can shop and look at without having to be right on top of each other."
The closure has taken a financial toll on the business, though, Rector said. The store doesn't offer products online, so Rector had to "shut down everything and put it on hold."
He said he hopes to receive financial assistance from stimulus money. He also applied for a U.S. Small Business Administration loan.
While some businesses took out small business loans, several applied for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Through the Paycheck Protection Program, if a business keeps employees on its payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for expenses like payroll, rent and mortgage interest, the SBA will forgive the loan, according to the organization's website.
"It keeps money rolling in our local economy, which goes out to other businesses," said Susie Schaefer Hinds, owner of The Schaefer House. "That hopefully circulates and keeps things moving and fluid as well.
The Schaefer House, at 618 Broadway St. in Jefferson City, reopened Monday after the statewide stay-at-home order expired. It had closed to walk-in traffic at the end of March.
Its first day back open was slower, and the customers who ventured into the store were shopping for specific gifts, Schaefer Hinds said. Walk-in traffic slowly picked up as the week progressed and residents became more comfortable going outside, she added.
A significant number of customers are still using The Schaefer House's website, social media and curbside pickup, Schaefer Hinds said.
The store's website saw a 300-400 percent increase in visits while its Facebook page grew by nearly a thousand likes during the closure, Schaefer Hinds said.
"It's definitely an avenue we're glad we used and kept our head above water," she said.
Trisha Sandbothe, co-owner of Initially Yours, said she couldn't have picked a better week to reopen.
After reopening last Monday, Initially Yours, at 627 W. McCarty St., had a steady flow of customers as people shopped for Mother's Day and teacher and nurses appreciation weeks.
"This week is not a typical week with all of the different occasions going on at one time right now, so this week has been great because people are shopping for those kind of things," Sandbothe said. "But we're not real sure what the new norm is going to be from here on out."
While the east side Premium Pets store remained open as an essential business throughout the stay-at-home orders, the west side store, at 1005 Big Horn Drive, temporarily closed.
The Big Horn Drive location also contains two other businesses, Kitty's Critter Hotel and Got your Six Dog Training, that closed because they were non-essential businesses.
Owner Brittany Schlup reopened the west side Premium Pets last Monday. Walk-in traffic has been slow, Schlup said.
However, the store isn't struggling financially since Schlup applied for the Paycheck Protection Program and saw a boost in sales during March.
"It was actually the best month of the year because I think people were stocking up because they didn't know what would happen, so our sales in March was really, really high," she said. "April was less than half of March, so we definitely felt it in April, but it kind of averaged out a little bit."
Several businesses that reopened over the last couple of weeks are taking precautions, including offering hand sanitizer and masks, cutting back on hours, limiting the number of people in the stores, placing directional markers on the floors, and cleaning counters more frequently.
"If people are going out shopping, flexibility and patience are the names of the game," Schaefer Hinds said. "You have to leave the house with that in mind. I know everybody wants to get out, but getting frustrated just really doesn't help anyone."
That flexibility remains for businesses, too. Even though several shops are allowing walk-in traffic, they continue to offer online ordering, curbside pickup and delivery.
Between residents, the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, Schaefer Hinds said the community network helped many businesses stay alive.
The key now is for residents to continue shopping local, several business owners said.
"I think that is one of the biggest blessings I see between us and other communities," Schaefer Hinds said. "That's why a lot of our businesses will survive - because of that support and loyalty that is Jefferson City."