When Stephanie Simmons opened her own personal care business in downtown Chatham towards the end of 2019, she never imagined what the next few months would have in store.
Simmons launched Sugar That, a body sugaring hair removal service and boutique, on King Street West in November 2019. The business brought the unique service of body sugaring to Chatham and employed several professionals including Simmons' daughter.
She said traffic was steady after opening up and the community was receptive to the small business.
"They were excited to try something new and there was definitely good reception with it being all-natural and something that we make ourselves. Because a lot of people are looking to go more towards chemical-free things and just the all-natural world is kind of popular right now," said Simmons. "So it was good."
However, when the pandemic shut down businesses in March of 2020, Sugar That was only four months old and was especially hard hit, being in the personal care industry.
Simmons said it was a crushing and shocking feeling to see everything be put to a complete stop almost overnight.
"I mean, there wasn't really anything we could do. That's the kind of a difference with our business, we didn't really have anything that we could sell online or anything, because it's all just in-person service," she explained. "So, during our shutdown, there wasn't anything that I could, you know, get set up to sell online or anything like that."
As a result, Sugar That had to close its doors for three months. During that time, Simmons faced the challenging decision of choosing to close down permanently or finding different ways to creatively adapt to the situation.
"I doubled down," said Simmons. "I developed cleaning and social distancing protocols to keep staff and clients safe. I stopped taking a wage so I could put it all into the business and make sure we stayed afloat. I also looked at the services we offered and decided to expand them so that we could provide clients with even more options for personal care. Now we offer lash extensions, lifts and tints, brow lamination, and tinting."
Simmons said she also spent time researching and applying for different grants that she qualified for to help the business make it through the pandemic. The grants are one of the major reasons she said she was able to keep operating and something she recommends all business owners look into.
"Just hang in there and keep watching for grants and trying to find ways to qualify. You kind of have to change as much as possible to make sure that you can take advantage of whatever is available to you," she explained. "I think a lot of times it gets really complicated, you know, getting help from economic development or the Small Business Centre, with filling out some of those grants and just being aware of what's available to you. But, that has definitely helped us a lot."
Simmons said she is still not taking any pay for herself in an effort to keep her daughter and the other service providers employed. She said the business is taking things day by day and although another shut down could mean the end for Sugar That, Simmons is instead looking optimistically towards the future and what 2021 will bring.
"I would definitely love to see us in Windsor," she exclaimed. "So I think that's probably going to happen sooner than later. Even if we're just operating out of a salon."
