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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 0 bernsteinshur.com Be covered. BE SHUR. Excellence in practice, when you need it most. From the Editor T he timing of this small business issue comes at a time when small businesses are in disarray, struggling to find their way during the COVID-19 crisis. Yet, as the stories in this issue show, busi- nesses are not standing still. We offer numer- ous cases of businesses pivoting to make hand sanitizer, to offer curbside pickup, to help other businesses. Our cover story, by Laurie Schreiber, offers the example of Allen Manufacturing in Lewiston, which pivoted to make face shields and face masks. As the owner says, they're not in it for the money. But they've been able to keep their employees on the payroll and make a key contribution. See Page 18. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is our most read content for the two weeks from April 27 to May 11. 1. Mills may reopen Maine's economy but extend home-stay mandate, as numbers rise 2. Business leaders from Portland to Presque Isle concerned about reopening plan 3. In challenging year for restaurants, five Maine chefs are nominated for Beard Awards 4. Maine manufacturer swings for the fences with radical baseball bat 5. Mills unveils plan to reopen Maine economy in stages, but not 'flipping a switch' 6. Plan to develop former South Portland convent into inn derailed by COVID-19 7. WEX scraps acquisitions as virus impact hits travel sector; undershoots on earnings 8. Leapfrog Group awards 'A' for safety to 11 Maine hospitals 9. Maine's pandemic rules rank as least restrictive in Northeast 10. Swab maker will double output in partnership with Cianbro, BIW F I L E P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N 1 As pandemic gets entrenched, businesses find ways to adapt Seeing both sides of pandemic's impact on restaurants T he pandemic feels like it's gone on forever, but there are impacts we're just discovering. One is that despite an "opening," restaurants won't be back to normal anytime soon. Landlords need to face real- ity that they won't be able to collect full rent from restaurants as the pandemic continues. Re-opening restaurants will face scared diners, cut occupancy, and staff shortages. As a distributor of international wines and a commercial property investor I see both sides. Local restaurants have played an invaluable role in the growth of Maine as an international tourist desti- nation and helped drive property values higher. The shutdown has suddenly made dining rooms worthless just as restaurants were stretching their budgets to afford them. Landlords attempting to hold restaurants to full lease payments risk killing the goose that lays the golden egg. However, as an investor looking for additional properties, I know how much work goes into managing commercial buildings. Rent doesn't go into the landlord's pocket; it pays the mortgage, maintenance, utilities and other costs. It's unrealistic for a restaurant to pay top dollar for a space they can't use, but also unrealistic for a landlord to forgive all rent over what could be a year. We're in uncharted territory, but we know that many Mainers are willing to spend money on great dining. We know that out-of-state visitors will eagerly spend money on good food this summer. Restaurants can adapt, but they need the breathing room of for- mal rent modifications. I'm asking landlords to give rent reductions of at least 50% for six months. It's a sacrifice, but otherwise a large number of Maine restaurants may fail leaving landlords struggling to fill spaces during a pandemic with 15% unemploy- ment. Empty storefronts and higher unemployment rates could be the downfall of communities that have spent the last decade growing. Many landlords have been accommodating, but formalizing agreements will give restaurateurs the breathing room to adapt their businesses, survive this shutdown and keep our community vibrant. Ned Swain Devenish Wines, Portland L E T T E R T O T H E E D I T O R

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