Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I N O. X I M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 0 28 S M A L L B U S I N E S S Spinning into new reality Jibe Cycling opened in 2018 at 20 Free St. in Portland and things had gone great. So great, that owner Joanna Pease was poised to open a second studio in Yarmouth on March 27. She announced the ribbon-cutting March 9. ree days later, the state's first COVID-19 case was reported. Pease closed Jibe down immediately. "At the time, we hadn't been told to close, but it just seemed like the right thing to do," she says. She had a bunch of stationary bikes, both in Portland and Yarmouth, and a lot of clients who wanted to exer- cise. And she isn't one to sit still. She launched Jibe at Home within weeks. She rented out all the bikes she had, then got more from gyms, and rented those out, too. She and her instructors created streaming spin videos, available by email to members. By the end of April, there were 250 and counting. Still, the past two months has been "a roller-coaster of going from high highs to lows." Pease laid off all her instructors, most of them contract workers. "It was painful," she says. She got a Payroll Protection Program loan and hired back her two full-time staffers. Jibe can reopen on June 1, adhering to state guide- lines. Pease plans to open in Portland, with sanitary protocol that goes beyond what the state requires. In a streak of good luck, she'd bought an electrostatic sprayer for cleaning before everyone wanted one. ese days, they're harder to get than toilet paper. Jibe at Home will likely stay in some form. It's drawn members from places that her physical busi- ness never would have. "We have quite a group in Bangor," she says. She plans to open the Yarmouth studio once Portland is up and running. "It's a beautiful studio and I can't wait to fill it with people," she says. Overall, she's optimistic. "You have to be," she says. "If you go down those negative roads, you don't know when you're going to come back up." A new beginning delayed Day's Store in Belgrade Lakes closed for renovations Dec. 15, with a plan to reopen by Easter. "is was the first time we've done this since my parents used to close in the winters back in the early 70s," says owner Diane Oliver. Her family has owned DERAILED, F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N Five small businesses make changes to stay afloat during the pandemic but on track B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n Joanna Pease Joanna Pease, owner , owner of of Jibe Cycling Studio Jibe Cycling Studio, , in her new Yarmouth in her new Yarmouth location, whose opening location, whose opening has been delayed. has been delayed. Melissa Furbush Melissa Furbush at at Day's Store Day's Store in Belgrade in Belgrade Lakes. The retailer is Lakes. The retailer is one of many offering one of many offering curbside pickup. curbside pickup. If you go down those negative roads, you don't know when you're going to come back up. — Joanna Pease Owner of Jibe Cycling, Portland

• Cover