'We have no idea what's going to happen;' latest order closes non-essential stores

Among those considered nonessential businesses, florists and jewelers prepared to close up shop for the next two weeks. Jim Vandemark, owner of Vandemark Jewelers in Elyria, said he hadn't read the order in its entirety yet, but was under the assumption that his business was considered nonessential. "Although I like to think jewelry is essential," he laughed. Vandemark said he would follow the governor's order and close up shop. Vandemark Jewelers usually has six people on its payroll. "Hopefully, if we as society don't drag this on and we all heed that social distancing, we can get through this together and don't hurt businesses as much as we have," he said. The business had already put some steps in place, and adjusted its hours for the upcoming week. Now, the business will be closed. Avon Lake's Jan Jewelers will also close until the nonessential business shutdown is lifted. Co-owners Mike and Anthena Janapolis, a husband-and-wife duo, already planned to retire at the end of April. Now, the long-running shop will open no earlier than April 6, leaving just over three weeks to sell the rest of its inventory. Zelek Flower Shop has weathered recessions in its almost 69 years in Lorain. But Monday night will mark the first time it has closed for a pandemic. "We're no different from everybody's household that's wondering what's coming next," owner Mary Zelek said. Mary Zelek said they've noticed a big decline since the outbreak, dealing with canceled events, but said the shop had seen an increase in people sending flowers to one another to cheer people up. The family business doesn't have a big reserve and will look at cutting some of its fixed costs during the shutdown, expected to last from 11:59 p.m. Monday to April 6. While some of the fixed costs will go down — like a halt in flower orders and lower utility bills, the Reid Avenue shop still has overhead. On a broader scale, she said her supply chain was starting to dry up. Many of the growers they order from are outside the United States, and the costs to ship flowers were getting steep. She said she feels bad for the growers and greenhouses now stuck with products they can't use. "We were just putting together some what we were going to call 'shut-in baskets' with snacks and word search puzzle books and crossword puzzle books to put on our website tomorrow, but that's happening. We all have to share the sacrifice, it doesn't make sense for my staff to be coming in for something like this. As much as we like to think flowers are essential, obviously they're not the most important thing. She said she understands the state's order, but notes it's still going to be tough for many small businesses to survive. She laughed, noting the only stores thriving are big box stores and the "people that sell hand sanitizer." "There's always somebody who benefits from every circumstance, but unfortunately it's not me this time." She added later, "I think maybe this is a blessing in disguise in some ways. An expression I heard, maybe God is hitting the reset button ... it slowed everybody down." Nearby on Broadway, Sun Novelty and The Glass House will both shutter their doors for the next two weeks. The Glass House sells tobacco products, including hand-blown glass pipes. Store manager Julian Hunter said sales were down the past few days. It will be up to the chain's owners in Texas as to whether the storefront will be able to sell its products online, but Hunter wasn't sure it was feasible under the order. Sun Novelty's owner Marilyn Lopez as also felt a dip in sales leading up to the mandated closure. The storefront sells teachers supplies, including classroom materials, decorations and resources. "For me in the last few days I've had zero customers," Lopez said. "It's hard for the teachers, they have no idea when they're going to go back to work, if they'll even go back this year at all so I'm sure they're not thinking about buying anything that pertains to their job. So that puts an effect on my business." Her storefront has been on Broadway for more than 40 years, and, like Zelek flowers has seen its fair share of economic turmoil in the International City. But nothing like the order announced Sunday. "This is really scary, because we have no idea what's going to happen," she said. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.