Businesses across the country felt the crippling impact as the Coronavirus wave swept in, decimating many, following the Federal Government's March 23 social distancing announcements.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Banning non-essential gatherings, shop owners had the tough decision to either adapt to the 'new norm' or close until further notice.
Singleton's Molly's Seafood decided to get creative, bringing a refreshing taste to the community amid the global crisis. Operating for over twenty-five years, owners for the past three years, Danielle and Rob Roser decided to take advantage of the down time by revitalizing the inside of the store, introducing delivery options and revamping the business logo.
"We just had no choice really," Danielle said. "It's a family run business and our income, so we just had to acclimatize to what was happening."
The store was hit the hardest when the pandemic began with Easter usually being their busiest time of year. Having to abide by restrictions, the couple quickly established new ways to connect with their public.
"We thought, we need to do something and we need to do something now. We advertised at 7 o'clock in the morning that we were going to deliver fresh seafood around Branxton, Greta and Singleton on Easter.
"We've been around for so long, we didn't want to do half a job. So, we went out and bought proper delivery bags, got an angle fridge freezer set up in the back of the car, and Rob spent the weekend detailing the jeep, getting ready for the change that we had to follow."
Building on from the new delivery options, they took to social media, putting a voice behind the shop. Promoting online was a little different to their usual form of advertisement, which featured simply "having a chat" with their customers in store, however, it has given them a place to reconnect with their 700 Facebook followers and allow them to "share news of what is available".
The biggest change has been to the inside of the store and their logo, with just some finishing touches left to go. With the fish in their signage being trademarked, they decided to use it in the actual name of Molly's, making it become the 'o', giving the store a "fresh new vibe".
Despite the challenges of adhering to the new rules, their priorities remained clear: "Our staff still have a job and we still have the shop. To us, that's all that matters." Financially, Danielle said it has been a learning curve, and she isn't sure if business will ever return to normal, but they strive to continue supplying the fresh produce their customers love.
With previous owner Mark Riley still in employment at the store, Danielle said he has been praising the new changes, and all the staff have been extremely supportive during these times.
"All the staff have helped so much. We wouldn't have been able to do it without them."
