Coronavirus: Some Calgary businesses excited about Stage 2 of relaunch, others still face struggles

A lot of Calgary business are looking forward to reopening as the Alberta government lifts some COVID-19 restrictions as part of Stage 2 of its relaunch strategy on Friday.

But while many personal service spots are celebrating, there’s concern some night spots won’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to open up. We have over 200 people on a waiting list,” Elegance Medispa owner Femeena Virani said.

After having been shut down since March because of COVID-19 restrictions, reopening couldn’t come a minute too soon for Virani.

“It’s catching up to what we’ve lost over the last three months, that’s where the challenge occurs,” Virani said. “Because we’ve had no income come in.”

It may be some time yet before there’s any income for Calgary nightclubs.

Club owners have no idea when they’ll be allowed to get back in business and there are concerns that some Calgary clubs will end up going out of business.

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“The margins are usually razor-thin as it is, so reducing your capacity by 50 per cent, it would be so difficult,” Rizvi said. “I don’t know how you social distance and dance — it’s really going to reshape this whole industry.”

The Hifi Club has been livestreaming weekly live DJ performances during the pandemic, and while it helps stay connected with patrons, it doesn’t bring in much money for the business.

“It’s going to be a struggle for us for sure here. Luckily, our landlord has been really good to us so far, but we still have operating costs,” Rizvi said.

“We have managed to pivot over the years as the industry and music and everything changed, and we’re hoping to do the same with this, but it’s going to definitely be a challenge.”

Atticus Tattoo, along with many other tattoo and piercing shops, is dealing with the challenge of keeping clients and staff safe when they fire up the needles again on Friday.

“We are going to be using PPE and we have separate rooms, so the social distancing shouldn’t be a problem,” tattoo artist Jonathan Carty said. “Everything is sterile, everything is nice and clean. Wear the mask, make sure everybody keeps their hands clean — it’s all good.

“People are pretty excited to get tattooed again”

At Elegance Medispa, Virani is hiring two new staff members as her shop reopens.

‘I’m just super excited to get back,” Virani said. “Keeping the business alive and moving forward.”