Business owner Cher Riendeau is devastated that she has been forced to close her business, especially since she was looking forward to having her granddaughter work with her.
Riendeau operated Cher’s Beauty Boutique and Body Contouring for five years, with the past few years at 103 Main Street North. The shop provided shoes, wigs, clothing, eyelash extensions, laser services and other accessories. However, Oct. 27 was the last time the doors were open for business, as Riendeau, her husband, and movers began to clean out the space days after.
“This is a really hard time for me,” Riendeau said mournfully on Oct. 30.
The main reason Riendeau closed her shop is that the pandemic killed her business, she explained. She also faced changes with her building accommodations that prevented her from earning additional income. She was able to struggle through for a few months, but the obstacles became too much.
“It’s like a kick in the teeth,” she said. “If there’s no money coming … (in) this whole thing, I pretty much lost my shirt.”
The boutique offered something for everyone, Riendeau said. She had many customers from throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba come to see her during the last few weeks to say goodbye, with seven customers breaking down emotionally since no other business carries what Cher’s Boutique did.
Riendeau said it was heartbreaking to close since her granddaughter is going to school to become a hairdresser. She graduates next July and would have worked in the back room.
“It was a really hard decision to make, but the thought of hanging in there and just continuing to go into debt wasn’t an option either,” she remarked.
Riendeau invested $40,000 into her store over the years, she said. If she ever restarts her business, she would purchase her building to make life easier.
The one service Riendeau will continue to offer is her laser clinic, which will operate at Essential Elements and Metaphysical gift store at 134 Main Street North.
Almost no federal or provincial grants existed for Riendeau to pursue that could have saved her business, she continued. There was one federal grant of $700 and a similarly small provincial grant, but neither would have helped her. This frustrated her since bigger businesses were eligible for large grants, while smaller shops were forced to close and were left hanging with no support.
Riendeau acknowledged that she could have sought a bank loan, but she pointed out there was no guarantee she would have received one. It would also have been difficult to pay it back since there has been almost no business.
“Everybody’s suffering down here,” she chuckled ruefully. “I would have gave anything for this not to happen. I thought of 15 million different ways I could do something different or I could try and keep going, but (the) government’s been pushing for online shopping and a lot of people (don’t sell online, including her).”
Riendeau was also disappointed that big box stores could keep their clothing and jewelry departments open because they also sell food. She thought they should have been forced to remove those items since the coronavirus could have affected those items just like in a small business.
“It made no sense for us being shut down. We have more control coming through our doors than Walmart does coming through their doors,” she continued.
Small businesses won’t survive a second shutdown since they don’t have the financial backing, said Riendeau. It’s a little easier to thrive when a business owns its building, but it’s more difficult to rent or lease.
“I don’t know what to say; it’s heartbreaking … ,” she added. “I’m crushed right now.”
