Fauquier County businesses tack into the wind | News – Fauquier Times

With more than 1,900 businesses in Fauquier County, there are likely 1,900 stories of how owners are attempting to survive the current coronavirus landscape. Entrepreneurs have built their companies by considering educated risks. Some small business owners say they are using those critical skills to carve out their futures.

Salon Lou is an upscale Warrenton hair salon owned and operated by Lori Nicholson.

Salon Lou

Salon Lou is an upscale Warrenton hair salon owned and operated by Lori Nicholson. It opened in 2015 and had been a success from her first cut, she said.

Today the shop is shuttered and all 15 employees have been laid off. Nicholson said, Its almost surreal for my team and me. We were all in shock for the first two weeks. In the third week, we said, 'OK, what are we going to do with ourselves?

Nicholson believes that maintaining esprit de corps is foremost, so conducting virtual cooking classes with her employees helped soften the blow of not being able to man scissors, dye and hair dryers. "It's been a lot of fun," Nicholson said.

The downtime has also been devoted to virtual online training classes to maintain and enhance hair treatment skills and support professional education. A major industry show was canceled, so a lot of my stylists are taking classes online, Nicholson said.

Her furloughed employees have applied for unemployment. The process is frustrating and time consuming because millions of unemployed are tackling the same problem. "I've had to help some of my employees get it, Nicholson said.

She has had a lot of clients call and ask if she could come and do their hair. Unfortunately, state licensing laws and insurance companies will not permit most hair styling to be performed off-premises.

More importantly, she does not want to take the chance of infecting the community or her employees by going off-site. When the economy does open up, she said, We will be bombarded. Clients want professional hair jobs. They do not want to cut and color at home.

Once the doors open again, she said, its also going to change how her employees will interact with customers. We cant do our job 6 feet away. Well probably end up wearing gloves and face masks. Everybody will be scared of going back into the work force.

Currently, I can sustain my business for two to three months. After that, it's going to be questionable, Nicholson said.

Tony Tedeschi, of Piedmont Press & Graphics.

Piedmont Press & Graphics

Tony and Holly Tedeschi own Piedmont Press & Graphics. The couple has more than 50 years of print and design experience backed by historical perspective on how to survive cyclical business swings.

Tony Tedeschi said, My company is still open because we were declared an essential service, because we produce mailings and signage, both important to the economy. But weve lost work on promotional materials for concerts, festivals and equine events.

Losing business like the Gold Cup was hard because its one of our bigger jobs of the year. I would estimate our business is down 60 percent. The drop in revenues occurred almost overnight, he said.

Even before COVID-19, Tedeschi was preparing for a recession, which he thought was overdue. He learned a lot by surviving the 2008 recession, so he was better prepared; he had been saving money, both corporate and personal. The Tedeschis first move as owners was to stop taking paychecks.

He also asked his employees to shift to a 32-hour work week, essentially taking a 20 percent reduction in pay. We have enough money to go a couple of months, keeping our 15 employees working. He has an unused line of credit and has applied for thePaycheck Protection Program, which is a loan for small businesses. Its a forgivable loan, as long as 75 percent of it goes to employee paychecks and health care benefits.

If he is approved for the loan, it will give him an additional 75 days of relief. With all his planning in place, he thinks he is a long way from bankruptcy. He also is in the process of creating some new products and is poised to spend money on marketing.

Where you make your money is when you come out of a downturn. We want to be ready when that day comes. Im not panicked about the situation. Its going to be bad and painful, but people are doing their best to pull together and survive.

Regetis Photography

Amy Regeti manages her familys Warrenton business that has, Pretty much been set on pause. We are solely devoted to photographing weddings, and all our clients are postponing their plans. That will have a domino effect going into the 2021 season.

Amy Regeti of Regeti's Photography

Postponing weddings to the following year means that valuable dates that would have otherwise gone to new business are being snagged by weddings that canceled this year. Regeti said, It limits what we can take on. We service about 25 weddings a year, all of that that has pretty much jumped to later in the year. That business will likely jump again, dependent on the timing of the economic recovery. I would be surprised if we shoot even one wedding this year.

A lot of our clients are shifting dates because they do not want to hold a wedding and a reception with everyone wearing masks. Its not how they want to remember their special occasion.

The family business is a full-time job, but her husband does some work for the federal government. He has been able to retain his security clearance and continues to work, providing much-needed family income.

Home Sweet Home Improvements

Tom and Dawn Wottons Bealeton company is a design, build and remodeling firm with four full-time employees. One of the first actions Tom Wotton took after social distancing was implemented was to reach out to past elderly clients and see how they were faring. Often that resulted in face masks being delivered to the individuals for their protection.

His business is still operating and has about a three-month backlog of work; only a few of his current clients projects slowed down. Nonetheless, fresh leads have stopped.

When on-site, his crew quarantines off a section of the home that is being remodeled and works with hand sanitizers, gloves, safety glasses and face masks. CDC guidance for home construction crews are included in the companys regular safety talks.

Some of his suppliers and subcontractors initially wanted to stop residential work, but Wotton told them his clients were OK with proceeding and gained the cooperation of the vendors.

Wotton said, Yes, we are feeling an impact of whats going on. There are two fronts in play here. First, there are health and safety issues, and we are managing that part of it. Secondly, there is the financial front. If we can produce, we need to continue to produce. Its that simple.

Claire Lamborne owns Claires at the Depot restaurant in Warrenton.

Claires at the Depot

Claire Lamborne owns her restaurant like Tiger Woods owns his swing. The eatery is part of her very core, and she will fight to make certain it endures. To that end, she will reopen for curbside service soon.

Claires service was offered for a short time when the economy was first placed in lockdown. But a crowded staff in a tight kitchen wasnt manageable, she said.

Now shes back. I think we solved some issues with the carryout and will offer it again.

Lamborne thinks she has found a way to work around the tight kitchen issues while keeping her staff safe. While she has 36 employees, only kitchen staff will be brought back at first. She said she believes curbside service will last longer than some people think.

Lamborne said, Before we were trying to do food hot and that became very difficult. This time well be doing curbside meals that are cooked and ready for reheating at home.The new approach allows for pre-planning menu selections and calming the previously busy kitchen scene.

While answers to many questions about the recovery process are yet to be answered, Lamborne said she will not wait until they are to revive an income stream. My accountant doesnt have answers to my questions, and I need to find a tax attorney, said Lamborne.

Will Lambornes new world mean a delay in her retirement plans? Oh, my gosh, yes! The value of my business has dropped, so now I plan to work till Im 80 years old. Im healthy, so hopefully, Ill be able to do that.

Lamborne believes that when she does reopen, she wont be able to accommodate as many diners as before. I think there will still be social distancing. Well need to get those patio chairs and tables painted," she said, laughing.

John Hochheimer is chairman of the board of the Great Meadow Foundation.

Great Meadow Foundation

John Hochheimer is chairman of the board of the Great Meadow Foundation. He said they have had to cancel or postpone several of their planned events. The largest one to date is Gold Cup. It has been rescheduled for June 20, assuming conditions permit.

Twilight Polo was supposed to start May 23, but the potential new start date is now June 13. Honestly, all of our plans depend on what the governor recommends and what the requirements will be once the stay-at-home policy is lifted, said Hochheimer. Our revenue is down some 20 to 25 percent.

He underscores that the foundation is hurting because the delayed events are the core of its revenue. Nonetheless, the staff of seven is still working, and the gates are open.

People are welcome to come out to Great Meadow and walk the grounds and exercise their dogs individually and in small groups. Its largely a wait and see situation. Fortunately, much of what was unfolding at the spacious outdoor venue was just ramping up. Rescheduling the more significant events later in the year will save many of the seasons activities.

Several smaller events, like the National Rocket Contest, will be rolled over to next years schedule. Hochheimer said that groups need to plan events weeks or months in advance, and the uncertainty about when people will be allowed to gather leads to the cancellations.

Well continue to update our website when things are rescheduled. And we do welcome visitors to come out and enjoy the grounds. But I ask that people clean up after themselves and their pets, said Hochheimer.

On the links at Fauquier Springs Country Club

Fauquier Springs Country Club

Shawn Rogers is the general manager of the venerable club that was established in 1957. It has about 325 members. The facility has a restaurant, pool, tennis courts and a golf course. While the restaurant is closed to diners, it is offering carryout service.

He explained, One of the major complications we have seen throughout this situation are the protocols weve had to put into place to keep our club going. The Virginia Department of Health has been fantastic as to what we needed to implement.

The governor has allowed us to keep the golf course open, and our number of rounds are up. Every cart is sterilized before it goes out, and only one golfer per cart is allowed. Weve removed the sand-divot containers from the carts and anything else a player might touch. Players are not allowed to touch or remove the flag pin during play, Rogers said.

The clubs most substantial revenue producers are its banquet and event operations. We have been severely hurt in those areas.A lot of weddings and special events have been rescheduled. In March and April, we lost $150,000 in revenue. Every day this goes on, we are at risk of losing even more.

Rogers thinks the country club will survive without difficulty for two to three months. After that, it will become more problematic. Right now, were OK. But not as OK as we should be.

Fauquier Chamber of Commerce

For more than a decade, Joe Martin has served as the president of the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce. He has successfully guided the organizations 530 members through robust economic growth. Today, hes a whirling dervish, working to keep his family safe from harm.

We have a weekly conference call with numerous regional leadership organizations strategizing on how to address the critical issues facing us. Im also on Zoom calls daily with local, state and federal agencies for the same purpose.

The communication outreach across these dozens of organizations has been phenomenal. One minor but important aspect of all of this is well be using these communication technologies from here on out, said Martin.

To focus on real-world concerns and seek advice from chamber members and their guests, a monthly virtual luncheon is hosted by Martin, where attendees go around the screen and share successes, struggles and challenges. Its an opportunity for one story to answer dozens of questions.

Martin finds it reassuring in such stressed times that most of the groups and individuals hes interacting with generally have a positive feeling about the future. But the pain experienced by small businesses is of particular concern to him. The downturn will end, and Martin, in concert with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, is working on a recovery plan to help make it happen.

Martin muses, The recovery is not going to spring back overnight. It will be a slow and methodical process of likely a year or more. Yes, there will be pent-up demand, but it will not be an explosive recovery. But it will happen. Staying focused and positive is key.

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Fauquier County businesses tack into the wind | News - Fauquier Times