Smaller retailers in Kingston will find themselves at a disadvantage when non-essential stores go into lockdown mode this weekend.
Clothing and other stores will be forced to close for 28 days starting Boxing Day, but big box stores that sell many of the same products can stay open because they also sell groceries.
Cyndy Gibson is owner/operator of Agent 99/Whit Kingston, a clothing store in the downtown area.
“Ultimately we are in the hands of the consumer, so they can click to shop online from Amazon, too, if they want, or they can choose to support us — and we’ve been seeing that,” Gibson said.
At this point, we know that big box stores that offer essentials like groceries will be permitted to continue to offer in-person shopping, but with a reduced capacity of 25 per cent. Grocery stores will remain open, but at 50 per cent of their capacity.
While sections in these stores with non-essential products were roped off in Quebec and Manitoba earlier this year, the Ontario lockdown doesn’t mention any such restrictions — something that could seem a bit unfair to smaller retailers selling many of the same things.
Monica Brown is owner and operator of The Rocking Horse, a toy store in the downtown core.
“The reality is that there is lots of other stores out there that also carry toys. We just take pride in the fact that we … have a great selection of toys,” Brown said.
“Those are the things I control so those are things I try to focus on.”
Meanwhile, the focus for so many in the province will be on flattening the coronavirus curve once again.