Downtown Wilmington business leaders working to stimulate local businesses

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The coronavirus is causing cancellations and closures left and right, leaving some small businesses wondering how they’re going to survive.

Downtown Wilmington business leaders are working to help stimulate businesses that are still open.

“These are people, they are not corporations,” Downtown Business Alliance President Terry Espy said.

“The big thing is the uncertainty of when things will begin to start the return to normal,” Wilmington Downtown Incorporated President Ed Wolverton said.

Many are adjusting to a new normal for the time being and locally owned small businesses are no different.

President of Wilmington Downtown Incorporated, Ed Wolverton, says they’re doing everything they can to support the downtown community.

“We’ve assembled a list of who was going to stay open, who was going to be offering curbside service, who is offering take out only options,” he said.

WDI and the Downtown Business Alliance are working closely with the city to make shopping as easy as possible, including parking.

“We’ve put green signs on two meters on both sides of the street, both ends of each block downtown and made that only pick up and delivery. And the loading zones are only for pick up and delivery,” DBA President Terry Espy said.

They’ve also distributed bright green signs for businesses to place on their windows to advertise their take out and delivery services.

She says even some alcohol can be picked up and delivered now, not just from the bottle shops.

“A restaurant has inventory. They can package it, but it has to be unopened,” Espy said.

Espy says DBA is working closely with Senator Harper Peterson to address concerns business owners have and get answers and solutions from Governor Cooper.

For example, they’re working to prevent the number of people currently applying for unemployment from impacting the business owner’s overall rating in the upcoming year.

She says even though this issue is unprecedented, she has faith in the community.

“There’s a cohesive ‘we’re gonna get this done together’ feel on the street down here,” she said.

For the full list of businesses remaining open click here.