Small business closes permanently, state leaders write to Gov. Cooper about reopening plans

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As more small businesses are forced to close permanently due to the effects of the pandemic, some state leaders are asking Governor Roy Cooper to discuss the state’s reopening plan.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and the majority of the Council of State wrote a letter to Cooper, asking to sit down and talk with him about reopening the economy and provisions for certain businesses.

The owner of a small business in Wilmington is feeling those effects. She says she only has two employees, so certain loans and aid weren’t really an option.

After being closed for a few weeks, she realized she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hang on, ultimately having to close her doors.

“I don’t ever want to be a small business owner again after this,” The Bump & Beyond Owner Stephanie Luther said. “Having to close a business that you have put your entire heart and soul into for the last five years is just insane.”

After five years, Luther was forced to throw in the towel, but she says she had no other option.

Luther first closed her maternity and baby store in mid-March, following the Governor’s order, and hoping to open back up soon. As time went on, she started to get worried about whether that was a realistic hope.

“I was like, ‘But I don’t think the atmosphere is going to be there for the summer that’s going to really allow me to withstand, so I don’t want to get further into debt,'” she said.

At the beginning of April, Luther had to make the call to pull the plug and close her store. After taking a huge blow from Hurricane Florence, she says her shop just couldn’t handle another disaster.

“I have a feeling that there’s a first wave of closures as far as businesses in this area, but there’s going to be more,” Luther said.

The letter written to Cooper from the majority of the Council of State is aiming to keep businesses like Luther’s from closing. In the letter, state leaders ask to talk with Cooper about how to reopen the economy more quickly.

“I don’t see how this is going to get solved any time soon,” Luther said. “There’s no simple answer here. There’s none.”

Luther added it’s a tough call no matter what, but she hopes it comes sooner rather than later.

Read the full letter written by the majority of the Council of State below:

“Dear Governor Cooper,
We are writing today to request that you convene the Council of State as soon as possible to discuss plans for reopening North Carolina’s economy, with the understanding that we will be dealing with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future. We all understand that shelter-in- place cannot exist forever. With the rest of the Southeast, and the majority of our country, already providing structure and clarity to struggling businesses and workers, North Carolina is lagging in communication. Many of our offices are being flooded with phone calls from businesses that thought they’d be allowed to open after May 1. You are now telling them they have to wait at least another two weeks, with minimal guidance from you. As a
majority of the Council, we are asking that you convene the Council of State as soon as possible so that we understand your plan for North Carolina. We also need the ability to provide clarity to businesses across our state that are dangerously close to permanently closing. And we need clarity as to why you aren’t allowing specific industries to open as our neighboring states have done.

To date, over 1 million North Carolinians — many in the restaurant and hospitality industry — have filed for unemployment, and less than 45% of them have received any assistance. It is heartbreaking to hear the unending high volume of phone calls many of us receive daily from hopeless citizens down to their last few dollars. There are numerous ways to protect lives and livelihoods at the same time while allowing healthy North Carolina citizens to return to work and giving them the ability to provide for themselves and their families. We would like to discuss, as a Council, provisions relating to restaurants, salons & barbershops, entertainment small businesses, church and worship services, and hospitals and health care. We understand that you’ve stated in the past you are using the White House’s guidance for reopening North Carolina. However, it is just that — guidance for the entire country, not a law or a mandate, and it allows maximum flexibility down to the county level. The fact that North Carolina is faring better in cases and deaths on a per-capita level than the rest of the nation, and that the majority of deaths are from government-regulated congregate living centers, proves that our citizens can properly social distance and abide by COVID-19 business regulations. The citizens of North Carolina, especially those in need of protecting their livelihoods, are looking to our state leaders to come together and reopen responsibly as soon as possible.

We look forward to working with you, Secretary Cohen, and the rest of the Council of State on how to safely and strategically reopen North Carolina.

Sincerely,
Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest
Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler
Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey
Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry
Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson
Treasurer Dale Folwell”

During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Cooper was asked to respond to this letter.

“Pandemics can not be partisan,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “I’ve been on the phone with the White House every week. I’ve signed a unanimous pandemic budget. We are going to rely on the science and facts to tell us when we’re going to reopen. I know people are hurting because of this virus and I know our economy is hurting because of this virus, but the health of our people and health of the economy go hand in hand. At our last Council of State meeting last week, we offered to have a briefing and meeting on the COVID  crisis. We told them we’d set it up and look forward to doing that.”