Ailing Malls Face Another Threat with Covid 19
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LOOK BACK | THE BLACKOUT FOCUS | LEGAL AFFAIRS: Law schools adapt instruction for the COVID-19 classroom. PAGE 10 NEO had a big role in a dark day for many. PAGE 23 CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I AUGUST 10, 2020 SMALL BUSINESS RETAIL Flexibility key for employers AILING MALLS and working FACE ANOTHER parents Uncertain school year THREAT WITH presents many hurdles BY RACHEL ABBEY MCCAFFERTY COVID19 In March, everything changed. On the y, employers had to nd ways to accommodate employees who were suddenly balancing child care and work in a new way, as schools went remote and child care centers closed when the COVID-19 pandemic came to Ohio. is fall is sure to hold similar Child care, with conditions: Ohio child care centers can return to pre-pandemic student-teacher ratios, but they must follow a host of safety and hygiene measures. Page 21 challenges. e only di erence? Em- ployers have time to plan ahead for the inevitable. And how they respond SouthPark Mall in Strongsville is seeing a slow return of foot tra c, despite now could have implications for the social distancing requirements. | DAVID KORDALSKI/CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS future. In the spring, there was a tangible end in sight for those balancing work Foot tra c, a key indicator of mall health, has fallen 40% from January numbers and their children’s virtual learning. “It felt like there was a term to it,” BY STAN BULLARD Ohio stay-at-home order ended. said John Bernatovicz, founder of Foot tra c at the malls as of July 25 sta ng and consulting rm Willory Northeast Ohio’s already ailing en- is running 40% below what it was in in Bath. “We can do this for four closed malls are wrestling with grow- January, according to Orbital. And weeks, six weeks, eight weeks. I can ing problems as the COVID-19 pan- that’s an improvement from the 85% gure this out, even though it was demic lingers, with shoppers decline they su ered as Ohio’s March stressful.” continuing to stay away after lock- shutdown order hit. e question Heading into the fall and the new down orders ended and more tenants that will plague the owners of the school year, there’s more stress, he shutting shops, declaring bankruptcy properties, and increasingly the said. School districts are all han- and closing down. communities where they are located, dling the start to the year different- Foot tra c is a key indicator in mall in the future will be how many come ly, and there’s the knowledge that, performance, following only sales and back as the coronavirus lingers and no matter how they start, schools rents. Information from Orbital In- prompts legions of shoppers to test could have to go remote again. And sight, a geospatial data provider based online buying and permanently alter this uncertainty could last the in Palo Alto, Calif., show how North- their spending patterns. whole year. east Ohio’s remaining 11 enclosed Losing traditional anchor stores like the Sears at Great Northern Mall in North malls are su ering, even since the See MALLS on Page 22 Olmsted is another reason malls are su ering. | STAN BULLARD/CRAIN’S See CHILD CARE on Page 21 NONPROFITS Nonpro ts face challenges in engaging volunteers during pandemic BY LYDIA COUTRÉ organizations have been able to ed (BVU), which works to connect VOL. 41, NO. 29 l COPYRIGHT 2020 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED bring them back at a fraction of previ- businesses and nonpro ts to solve After the pandemic put many vol- ous capacity in new or modi ed community issues in the region. unteer opportunities on hold, non- ways, while others are still largely un- Organizations are doing more with pro ts have spent the summer work- able to put their volunteers to work less, asking themselves daily how to ing to safely bring back volunteers, again, including many nonpro ts best serve the community, said Nan- who are a vital component to the that are heavily reliant on their vol- cy Dzurnak , program manager at NEWSPAPER work of many organizations. unteer workforce. Greater Cleveland Volunteers, an or- But social distancing requirements At the same time, 33% of nonprof- ganization that connects volunteers and other protocols to mitigate risk of its reported an increased demand for with about 100 nonpro ts each year. COVID-19 spread have meant work- their services, according to a July sur- ing with far fewer volunteers. Some vey by Business Volunteers Unlimit- See VOLUNTEERS on Page 18 P001_CL_20200810.indd 1 8/7/2020 3:00:35 PM SMALL BUSINESS Tent rental companies navigate a bust-to-boom year Pandemic initially produced spree of cancellations, which were followed by businesses getting ood of calls BY MICHELLE JARBOE property in Bath Township, nestled in the Cuyahoga Valley National For Ramsey Duqum and his brother, Park. Brandon, 2020 has been a maelstrom. “We understand that being out- eir tent rental business, AAble doors is a huge mitigation factor,” Rents, stalled in March when the said Sarah Johnston, head of the pri- novel coronavirus pandemic spurred vate school. widespread event cancellations and In a happy accident of timing, Old a statewide ban on large gatherings. Trail is putting the nishing touches In recent weeks, though, the Eu- on a permanent outdoor classroom clid-based company has been — with a canopy, benches and a swamped. green roof — that was in the works Colleges, universities and private long before the pandemic turned the schools are turning to tents as out- business of education into a risk door classrooms. To protect vulnera- analysis exercise. ble congregants, churches are taking “ at was going to serve as a place services outside. Restaurants need that would be a hub for connection tents to accommodate expanded al outdoors. Now, we’re going to be us- fresco dining. And brides, frustrated ing it to rotate classrooms and grade by public health restrictions at ven- levels out there,” Johnston said. ues, are opting for backyard ceremo- Brothers Brandon (left) and Ramsey Duqum, the owners of Euclid-based AAble Rents, stand in front of a tent their company recently For schools that aren’t similarly nies and receptions — sometimes on erected at Hawken School’s Lyndhurst campus. The market for the tent rental industry busted in March, but is now booming with situated, tents are a swift solution to very short notice. demand from private schools, restaurants, brides and other clients moving activities outdoors. | MICHELLE JARBOE/CRAIN’S the need for extra space and the em- Event rental businesses, many of phasis on fresh air. Building codes them small, family-owned compa- up. “In Q1 and Q2,” he said, “there year, one group of families was pooling e long-term rentals are likely to allow such temporary structures to nies, are struggling to respond. On was this emoji going down that line, funds to rent a tent their children’s ele- be Hawken’s third-largest pandem- stay up for about six months. Certain the heels of layo s and a precipitous day by day, with a blowtorch for eight mentary school couldn’t a ord. ic-related expense, after HVAC up- types of tents can withstand the win- decline in revenues, they’re now weeks. Everything was canceled.” “ e real story is just how incredi- grades and additional housekeeping ter, if they’re heated and don’t be- faced with a surge of demand from en, the trickle of calls started. bly resilient people are,” Duqum said. sta , said Scott Looney, the head of come heavy with snow. nontraditional clients, some of them And turned into a ood. Administrators at Hawken School school. Duqum stressed that long-term from neighboring states. Hospitals needed tents for recently reserved six tents for the pri- “It’s a lot,” he said. “More than I’d rentals require additional staking, es- “I’ve never had a period of time like COVID-19 testing. Parents of high vate day school’s campuses in Gates like to spend. I’ll just say that my pecially at schools. this,” said Ramsey Duqum, the CEO of school seniors sought out stages and Mills, Lyndhurst and University Cir- board has been great, but all in, this “ ey need to be over-engineered,” AAble, a 50-year-old business that tra- backdrops for makeshift graduations. cle. Ranging from 20 by 30 feet to 82 will be hundreds of thousands of dol- he said, “by the tent company, not ditionally deploys more than 200 tents Before the Cleveland Metropolitan by 82 feet, the tents will accommo- lars.” the renter.” a week from mid-April to mid-October. School District decided to go virtual for date open-air instruction, lunches Old Trail School also expects to First, he watched reservations dry the rst nine weeks of the academic and breaks between classes. pitch rented tents on its 60-acre See TENTS on Page 21 PREMIUM BEACHWOOD OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE Maximum Visibility and Recognition Enterprise Place 3401 Enterprise Parkway | Beachwood, OH 44122 Maximize your business potential with an office at Enterprise Place, the most recognizable Class A office building in Beachwood. 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