Northport small businesses struggling to remain open due to pandemic

Many of the restaurants and bars on Long Island have been closed for weeks and have had to lay off their workers.

News 12 Staff

May 8, 2020, 1:23 PM

Updated 1,450 days ago

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The grim U.S. jobs report released Friday shows the coronavirus pandemic's impacts on different industries in April, including restaurants, bakeries and jewelry shops.
Many of the restaurants and bars on Long Island have been closed for weeks and have had to lay off their workers. The U.S. shed 20.5 million jobs in April from the viral pandemic.
Many business owners wonder if they will ever be able to open their doors again.
Like many restaurant owners, Artie Glad had to let go of some of his workers and cut back hours to keep Pumpernickel's Restaurant in Northport open.
Glad is depending on takeout orders for now, but he isn't sure how long he can rely on that.
"People are running out of money. They're not working. They're watching themselves. We don't know how long it's going to last," says Glad.
Adding to the stress of business owners is wondering what's next. Most say they're working harder than ever, yet are barely making any money.
When the pandemic hit, Eileen Pincheck had to completely shut down her jewelry and gift shop on Main Street in Northport.
"We were devastated, we were in shock and we had to try and figure it out -- how we were going to maintain a business without being in your shop," says Pincheck.
While she says she's doing a few online sales, it's nothing close to what could sustain her in the long term.
"This is the height of our season so we really need to get our business going," she says. "Right now we're down two months and the longer they keep us down, the harder it will be for us to come back."
Around the corner at the Copenhagen Bakery, they've put up shields by the counters and signs all over warning about social distancing. But Flemming Hansen is left wondering what steps he may have to take next.
"Uncertainty, that's the biggest fear. We don't know what's going on," says Hansen. "If somebody gets it -- or if someone gets it now -- do we close down and quarantine the whole place for two weeks?
There has been more talk in Washington, D.C. of another relief bill that would contain money for each U.S. county. An initial round of aid went to cities with populations greater than 500,000.


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