Independent businesses reflect on recent struggles

Jul. 16—HERMITAGE — Being an independent business owner was never easy, but local owners have experienced more than their share of difficulties over the past few years.

For Ron Martin, the owner of Smoky Martin's BBQ in Meadville, he was looking forward to opening a new Smoky Martin's location at 3601 E. State St., Hermitage, in April of 2020.

But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many lockdowns, Smoky Martin's couldn't open for business until that June, and even then it was takeout only — hardly the opening Martin said he was hoping for.

"It was absolutely terrible," Martin said.

Smoky Martin's Meadville location had been open for about six years, but Martin said it usually takes a couple years for a restaurant to get established.

This meant that, in addition to the reduced availability caused by takeout-only service, followed by reduced occupancy requirements, the Hermitage location didn't have a chance to introduce their menu to Mercer County residents and build up a loyal clientele.

"There's not too many barbecue places around here, so a lot of people weren't familiar with what we had," Martin said.

Restrictions did eventually ease up and people could eat inside the restaurant once again, but Martin said business is still affected by ongoing pandemic-related struggles and the onset of high inflation impacting customers.

The continued economic troubles have forced Smoky Martin's to close for lunch on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays a couple months ago. Fridays and Saturdays remain open to lunch crowds.

One week a pound of pork butts cost $1.38 a pound, only to increase to $1.69 the next week — not only making it more expensive when buying 500 pounds at a time, but more difficult for the restaurant to set sale prices when the cost of meats increases or decreases so quickly.

There has been some assistance over the years, including financial assistance from the city and the Meadville location, which has helped financially support the Hermitage restaurant.

Smoky Martin's has also been getting out into the community, by catering for special occasions such as weddings or sending its food truck to local events like the fireworks show in Sharon.

But this is the boom time for "summertime fare" restaurants like his.

"The thing about the barbecue business is we need the summertime to get us through the winter," Martin said.

Martin said there are also people in the community who try eating out when they can, and his clientele has been slowly building over the last couple of years.

"I think they do want to support us, because they've given us good reviews so far," Martin said of their customers.

Inflation squeezing supplies, wages

The nearby restaurant Toss'd Italian Bar and Grille finds itself in a similar situation after going through the pandemic followed by inflation.

The restaurant opened their new location in April of 2019 at 3640 E. State St., Hermitage, and had about a year to get settled in before the pandemic. The restaurant had also existed for a few years at 489 S. Hermitage Road before the move, so local residents were already familiar with their menu.

However, co-owner Summer Wise said the pandemic was still an obstacle for the restaurant, which went takeout only. Co-owner Jeff Layman also had a health issue for about a year, and although he is now recovering, economic factors are now a major challenge for the restaurant.

Some supplies, such as certain produce items, have tripled in price, while other products, including poultry, have increased as well. Other supplies aren't delivered at all, Wise said.

"There are times when you think you're getting something on the truck, but then it's not there because it isn't available," Wise said.

Personnel is another major issue. Wise said Toss'd would need to hire at least another 30 people — the restaurant employed about 62 people before the pandemic — to return to its full seven-day-a-week schedule.

She said hiring staff has become more difficult as wages in other businesses increase, making it hard for a smaller business operating as a single outlet to compete with chains that can more easily absorb such increases. Applications for summer jobs have also failed to materialize as in with previous years.

"It's hard because we don't want just anybody, we want to make sure someone is trainable," Wise said.

Like Smoky Martin's, Toss'd tried reducing its hours in order to deal with the lack of staff, as well as Layman's medical recovery and Wise's young child. But the restaurant recently announced it had to close its eat-in dining operation aside from private events and catering.

Although the restaurant tried catering service when it first moved, it was difficult to focus on or assign staff to catering due to how busy the restaurant was with in-person business.

The pandemic's lockdowns and reduced attendance allowed the restaurant to try catering more earnestly, which Wise said she and the staff have enjoyed.

Wise said she hopes to reopen to in-person design by mid-September depending on staffing, especially since the community had remained supportive over the past few years.

"It was nice seeing people come back after the pandemic because we had our regulars returning, and you become friends with people and learn about their families," Wise said.

Better news next door

Wise also owns the women's clothing store Trendy, which operates out of the same building as Toss'd. But unlike the restaurant, the boutique has "flourished" since the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

The clothing business has been able to adapt more easily than the restaurant to the pandemic through social media and online orders.

Along with the volume of local orders and customers from outside Mercer County, Wise said months that had previously been slow are now very successful. Her first week of July alone has been more successful than previous Julys.

"We grew without one person walking into the store," Wise said.

Staffing is less of an issue with Trendy, since only a few workers are needed, and the store has since been reopened to regular in-person shopping.

"We do specials that we'll post online, and some of the ladies like to come in and see what we get on the truck," she said.

'Biggest sales in years'

Another local business dealing with the pandemic and inflation is Shenango Valley Tuxedo and Suits, located at 3651 E. State St.

Manager Chere Tota said her business was closed for a time during the pandemic, but slowly picked up as people found new ways to hold special events, such as backyard weddings.

The following year, 2021, saw a further resurgence when schools were able to hold events such as prom and homecoming again, and local parents decided to rent or buy their children's clothes.

"Homecoming last year was the biggest I've had in 16 years," Tota said.

As a local business, Tota said word-of-mouth was "everything" in terms of advertising. While it helps that she is one of the only tuxedo and suit businesses in the area, many customers learn of Tota's services through events for friends and relatives over the years.

Bridal shows help provide some advertising, but Tota said she has also expanded her target area since two rental businesses in the Grove City area recently closed.

However, not everything has been positive for the business since reopening. Supply chain issues have been a recurring problem.

Although special events requiring tuxes and suits have returned, Tota said stocks of different clothes have been in short supply since the end of the pandemic, possibly due to clothing manufacturers shutting down during the lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings.

One example would be men's dress shirts, which Tota said she hasn't been able to purchase since last July.

"I can call and reserve a rental, but if I need a replacement, there's not a lot of stock available," Tota said.

Along with limited stock availability, inflation has further compounded the issue and forced Tota to raise her prices. Some of the companies she orders from even told her to expect a 20 percent increase.

"People are already used to these kinds of things being expensive, but when you're seeing shirts go from $59 to $79, that's a big difference," Tota said.

Putting layoff to good use

Located nearby at 3597 E. State St., the photography studio Soul Shine Boudoir moved into their current space last October. Prior to that, owner Kara Ames had worked from her home for the past five years.

Although she did put her business on hold during the pandemic shutdown, Ames said she used that time to learn more not just about photography, but business in general and how to take Soul Shine Boudoir to the next level.

"It gave me a chance to step back and look at the whole picture — what's working, what isn't working," Ames said.

Aside from giving her a whole studio to work with, Ames said the move to her new location allowed her to separate her work from her family, since working from home meant running a business alongside her husband and two home-schooled children.

Since she has a smaller business and works only with her sister, Ames said she hasn't been affected as much by some of the economic challenges facing businesses and customers alike, and has continued to spread her business through social media and word-of-mouth.

Things do seem to have slowed down slightly during the summer, but Ames said summers are usually slow periods and she usually limits herself to 10 clients a month anyway.

"The busiest time tends to be around November and January, because the bulk of my clients want things for Christmas gifts and Valentines gifts," Ames said.

The experience of growing her business has been an educational one, as Ames said she has come to know a local network of professionals from her landlords — the McConnell family — to the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Ames also said she enjoys photography and working with her clients, and wishes she had gone with photography full-time 15 years ago

"When I was in high school, I wanted to be a photographer but everyone said it's not a real job," she said. "But it is a real job, because there are people who value you and what you do, you just have to treat it like a real job."

In a show of support for independent businesses, the Hermitage Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a proclamation at their June 22 meeting in support of Independents Week from July 1 through July 7.

However, supporting local businesses doesn't have to be limited to just one week, said Hermitage board President Duane Piccirilli.

He called local, independent businesses were the city's "heart," since they provide services and live within the community, as well as participating in events and local charities.

In many cases, those business owners and employees are also trying to support their families without the benefit of having a major corporation supporting them.

"These businesses have been there for the community. We need to be there for them," Piccirilli said.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at .

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.