GREENE - It’s a scene America’s downtowns have come to know all too well - small businesses shuttered by the pandemic, a nonexistent nightlife, and a once bustling Main Street that’s seemingly gone by the wayside.
This is the story of COVID-19 for small business hubs, and the Village of Greene has been no exception. The last year has been one unavoidable challenge after another for Greene’s businesses district. And it’s been tough for many business owners to find a silver lining, notably those whose businesses may have struggled even before the pandemic started.
Nowhere has the pandemic been more devastating than the theatre industry which, after being shut down for nearly a year, is still waiting for its curtain call - even as other businesses have gradually re-opened. At the Chenango River Theatre just outside Greene village limits, organizers say they don’t expect a seated audience again until after Broadway re-opens this summer. Like most organizations, the Chenango River Theatre was forced to close back in March as the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
“We are closely monitoring national development with COVID, any potential vaccine, and audience surveys about when people will feel comfortable returning to intimate theatres like ours,” Chenango River Theatre Managing Director Bill Lelbach said in a statement put out by the organization earlier this year. “We’re still planning on producing our 2021 season, knowing that there are a lot of variables out of our control this far out.”
The Chenango River Theatre is joining ranks with others in the theatre industry to call upon Congress to offer financial relief, arguing that the national impact of shutting down theatres is “as broad as shutting down other major industries.”
But for the time being, the Chenango River Theatre is relying heavily on supporter donations while most of its staff is out of work.
The CRT also hired new leadership in 2020.
Following a nine month search for a replacement the board of directors announced in November they had hired Zach Curtis to be the new producing artistic director. For the 2021 season Curtis will work with Lelbach as he makes the transition.
“We’re committed to being here for this area, no matter what it takes,” said Lelbach.
Luckily not every business in Greene has seen the same level of impact. On Chenango Street, the coffeehouse On Common Grounds has certainly been hit hard; yet business owner Jill Doll says being the only coffee shop in town, complete with a drive thru that shielded her from a total shut-down last March, is helping her business stay afloat.
“Business hasn’t been the greatest,” Doll said, citing a small uptick in sales during the summer months before falling again in November as the number of COVID cases climbed. “Initially, things weren’t too bad. But then, as people became more concerned about the coronavirus and not really knowing how it spreads, things really slowed down.”
Although having a drive thru available has been a saving grace for Doll’s business, she has also turned for assistance from a small business development center to help make loan payments. As sales slumped, that financial help became a lifeline, she said.
Even so, Doll says her small family-run business is in jeopardy if things don’t pick up soon. As a believer in the science behind COVID-19, her best option, she explained, is to wait and hope.
“We’ll just have to do our best and hang on until things get better,” she said.
While it’s true that sales at most Greene businesses took a hit over the last year, one of the village’s most notable landmarks - the historic Sherwood Hotel - saw a bright spot, taking on a new beginning under new ownership.
After closing its doors in 2017, the fate of the 200-year-old Sherwood seemed uncertain. But in 2020, uncertainty faded as new owner Mike LaCroce stepped in to revive The Sherwood’s role as a cornerstone in the Greene community. LaCroce said he’s excited to breathe new life into the 20-bedroom hotel and to get its restaurant and bar area up and running again.
LaCroce (who’s also the co-owner of the Wild Owl Cafe in Norwich) has a solid reputation in the restaurant business. To help with the undertaking of The Sherwood, he was awarded a $100,000 loan in 2020 from the Development Chenango Corporation, the economic development arm of Commerce Chenango. The loan was to help with minor renovations to the building and get the business on its feet.
“We are very excited about this opportunity that was only feasible with help of the Development Chenango loan program through Commerce Chenango,” said LaCroce.
Commerce Chenango President and CEO Kerri Green said re-opening The Sherwood has filled a void in the Greene community, and LaCroce’s background in restaurant management is a boon for its potential success in fine dining, reception, and hospitality.
“There’s definitely a need in our county for a couple of things. One is hotels,” Green said after awarding the loan to The Sherwood last summer. “We don’t have a robust number of places for people to stay when they’re traveling. Greene didn’t have much. B and Bs are wonderful; but when you have bigger events or more people come in, there really wasn’t a larger venue for people to accommodate that.”
Regardless of the damage done to downtown in 2020, business owners seem to agree on one thing: there’s a lot of optimism for 2021.
“I’m hopeful that there’s going to be a huge resurgence for businesses when COVID is more under control,” said Doll. “I think people may have  this year-long cabin fever and that they’ll want to get out. We hope.”