By Jessica Anstice
Berwick businessman Harry Hutchinson goes to work every day to sit behind the register and stare out the front window at an empty street.
Owner of Harry’s Clothing, the retailer wonders if his 15 years’ of hard work and love will survive this year.
With no end date to the harsh coronavirus restrictions, he says his mental health is starting to “play havoc”.
“The restrictions have affected my business immensely due to the ongoing scenario that we’re having: stage one, two, three and four – it’s just continuing and there is no end,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“The further it goes on, the harsher the restrictions.
“All of us who work in retail anywhere in metro Melbourne are suffering because of it, through no fault of their own. We’re receiving government handouts to survive.”
Along with many other businesses across metropolitan Melbourne, Harry’s Clothing, in Loveridge Walk off High Street, has been inconsistently opening and closing for the last six months.
Since the tough Stage 4 restrictions were put into play, it’s been closed for more than six weeks, only operating online and for click and collect.
“I’ve been closed for six weeks now in these restrictions but even when the prior restrictions were in place there were few people walking around the streets as they were told not to shop even though we were allowed to open,” he recalled.
“I’m a retail on-seller so it’s difficult because when people look up my products, they go straight to the source which is my supplier, so the supplier gets the first bite of the cherry unless they specifically look up Harry’s Clothing.
“It is generating some sales but certainty not enough to survive on.”
Mr Hutchinson said business is now down by about 90 percent, forcing him to lean on JobKeeper and savings to survive.
Before Covid-19, Mr Hutchinson’s small business would see an average of seven customers enter the shop each day.
But now it’s just him and his two casual employees.
“It’s a case of living off savings and JobKeeper, which is terrific, and we would’ve been long gone if it wasn’t for that, but you can’t run a business on that,” he said.
“We’ve still got commitments – we’ve still got rates and all the bills from running the business, but we have no one coming in and spending any money.
“I am extremely worried that if this goes beyond the 19th of this month that a number of businesses may close, and I could be one of them.”
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Premier Daniel Andrew’s announcement, on Sunday 11 October, indicating that metropolitan Melbourne would not be taking large steps out of lockdown, crushed Mr Hutchinson.
“I believe all businesses should’ve gone under the same bucket. A business like mine is being classified as a business like a shopping centre where there’s thousands of people going through the place,” he said.
“Small businesses should be allowed to open; they don’t have anywhere near the turnover as large businesses.
“We’re not a danger because we just don’t have the numbers anyway.”
