In March, Hunter Fox, manager of Busy Day Market, did not know if he would have a job in the coming days.
“(I) thought we might close down for a week or two,” he said.
This has been the overarching fear for liquor and convenience stores in Ohio. The debate of liquor stores being counted as essential businesses in the age of the coronavirus worried Fox at first, but then he realized Busy Day functions as a grocery store, too.
On March 15, Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order stating all Ohio bars and restaurants would have to stop in-person operations.
After this order was made, an uptick in liquor sales simultaneously happened in Ohio. Ohioans bought 63% more liquor between March 15 and 21. In the first four weeks of March, liquor sales rose 23%, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Busy Day, however, wasn’t really busy during the beginning quarantine.
“[We] virtually had no business,” Fox said. “[We were] at the mercy of week to week sales.”
Liquor and convenience stores are used to the barrenness during winter, spring and summer break. Stores like Busy Day, 30 W. Stimson Ave., and The Shack, 20 S. Court St., survive during those low sale months because of fest season in the spring. The huge surplus of demand allows vendors to be able to not sell as much during the off-season since they have that heavy influx of cash in a span of two months.
Since students have come back to Athens during the implementation of Ohio University’s reopening plan, Fox has seen an increase in business.
In terms of compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, Fox sees most people wearing masks when coming into the store.
“We’ve had really good compliance with masks,” Fox said.
For Mike Carson, owner of The Shack, he fears a repeat of weak sales—like last fest season—is going to happen for Homecoming and Halloween. This is following the city of Athens canceling the annual uptown Halloween block party and OU opting for a virtual Homecoming celebration.
When Carson found out about OU moving to an all online format last spring, he sold the rest of alcohol in his shop and closed down until the late summer.
“[I] just know how it’s going to be during the fall, Halloween and Homecoming,” Carson said. “It’s not going to be that busy till next fall.”
