'It will get better': COVID-19 through the eyes of local store manager Haley Ha

Haley Ha always imagined looking out the windows of Haki Apparel and Accessories to see Great George Street flooded with people.

But with COVID-19 bringing lockdowns and calls to limit leaving the house, Ha said the downtown streets of Charlottetown were relatively empty.

"Because of COVID, I think not a lot of people are actively shopping," said Ha, the store's manager. "We didn't have any tourists this year. That was hard for sure."

HakiApparel and Accessories originally intended to open its doors towardthe beginning of 2020. But after the province went into lockdown in mid-March, Ha said the date was pushed back.

"We moved the plan down to around like August then September," she said.

On Sept. 20, the store opened.

'Amazing day'

At the time, the Island had just one active case of COVID-19, masks were worn voluntarily and the Atlantic bubble allowedpeople to travel freely between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and P.E.I.

"We had a lot of people going in on our first day," said Ha. "That was a ... truly amazing day."

I think the situation in P.E.I. will get better soon. Haley Ha, store manager

Ha said Haki aims to introduce more sustainable clothing to the province. Inside is an array of products ranging from baby clothes to handwoven baskets.

"They make all of the baby clothing from like sustainable material like bamboo fibre and oak fibre," said Ha. "They are really soft and breathable on the children's skin."

As for the baskets, Ha said those are created with grass grown in southern Vietnam.

"People dry it and then they [are] kind of stitched together to make a bag," she said. "So they're handmade."

COVID complicates shipping

Because the products are manufactured overseas, Ha said shipping has been an issue due to the pandemic.

"I think it has gone like double the price," she said. "It takes around like a little over a month to get here."

Back in October, the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. predicted that due to the pandemic, one in seven businesses were at risk of permanent closure.

And according to Ha, opening a small shop in the middle of a global crisis was no easy task.

But for now, business in a world full of health protocols, restrictions and constant adapting is all she knows.

"To be honest, because we never had a store before COVID ... we don't have like a big comparison," she said, referring to what operating Hakihas been like these past several months.

Learning new skills

But there has been at least one lesson learned: the power of marketing.

"We've been running like Facebook and Instagram," said Ha. "Advertising and everything to get people to notice the store."

Ha said there is also an online shop.

"People who live in Ontario got to know our store and ... they bought stuff," she said. "It's been incredible."

And as the vaccine gets rolled out across the province, Ha said she plans to stay focused on her marketing and keep her fingers crossed that things start to get a little easier.

"It will get better from here,I hope," said Ha. "I think the situation in P.E.I. will get better soon."

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