Page 40 - BusinessWest July 7, 2021

While nearly breaking even during the during the warm months, by November, the losses began to pile up, and Bujak was desperate.
“At that time, there was huge fear about going near anyone and staying away from enclosed environments,” he recalled. “I was concerned that people might stay afraid forever and not come back.”
With plenty of spacing and cleaning protocols in place, he reached out to his social-media fol- lowers to at least try the new layout and give their feedback. He said his spacious location eased
or bar atmosphere, so
this was a good middle ground of being social but still low-key.”
Blais credits a simpler rationale. “I think every- body just met their quota of staying at home,” she said with a laugh.
For the better part
of a year during which Interskate 91 opened and closed a couple times, O’Brien found herself sidelined, without work, for the first time since she was 14 years old.
“I was home for nearly a year, and I missed not being here,” she said. “It was awesome when we reopened because my bosses and co-workers are like a second family to me.”
At the height of the
pandemic when nearly everyone was advised
to stay home, many used their time to clean out garages and basements to get rid of things that were no longer useful. Bujak benefited greatly from the COVID cleanout as many people donat- ed old video-game consoles, video games, and board games to him.
“I might have doubled my amount of games just from people cleaning out their basements,” he said.
While most managers said they used the
“It was awesome when we reopened because my bosses and co-workers are like a second family to me.”
concerns about social distancing and air flow.
“Gradually, friends, family, and our regular cus- tomers came in,” Bujak said. By Janu- ary, business had returned, and Feb- ruary was the most successful month in Prodigy’s history.
“I don’t know if all these efforts with
Rob Doty is expecting a big rebound at Bounce! Trampoline Sports.
closed time to deep-clean their locations, O’Brien said Interskate 91 installed a new carpet and created a dedicated area where food is sold and eaten. “In the past, we let people eat anywhere. By keeping it all in one area, we can offer more food choices than we did before.”
As of May 29, people who had been vaccinated
masks, distancing, and cleaning actually made people more safe,” he said. “It was more impor- tant that people felt safe in the environment and felt good about their choice to come in.”
As to why February was a banner month for Prodigy, Bujak said people had begun to figure out they could go out as long as they wore masks and distanced. People were also becoming more hopeful as access to vaccines received news cov- erage. “Most people were not ready for a concert
schedule a tour
TIME TO GET YOUR GROOVE BACK!
CLEAN | SAFE | HEALTHY
Spring into the season with us! We provide members with both a virtual and in-person fitness experience through our personal training services, state-of-the-art equipment, a variety of group fitness classes, customized health programs and much more.
Complimentary Safe Start appointments are available so that you can see all of the cleaning and safety protocols first-hand.
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JULY 7, 2021
SPORTS & LEISURE
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