Among the businesses hardest hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic are local entertainment and event venues.
The industry was hit again two weeks ago when Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a new executive order limiting gatherings in counties based on the state’s color-coded metrics.
With Johnson County in the "orange," venue owners were forced to reduce capacity to 50% and make some tough decisions to keep their businesses afloat. Even before the new restrictions, venues were struggling to attract enough events and patrons to pay their bills and employees.
Greenwood venue scared of what’s to come
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Times are tough at Greenwood’s Grafton Peek. They have been since March.
Across the board, each sector of the full-service event business with a venue in Old Town Greenwood, a catering service, cake bakery and video production company, has been down this year. Few weddings, and even fewer corporate gatherings, said owner Jason West. The venue suffered another blow when Stage to Screen Catered Cabaret closed, as it provided all the food for that venue, he said.
Month to month, the ballroom had only 25-30% of its typical bookings. Though events were allowed again at full capacity for several months, they remained small or got pushed back, West said.
Larger events and gatherings are possible with Johnson County Health Department approval, but clients have been hesitant to take that step, West said. And now, the few events that are still set to happen this year trimmed the guest list to meet the state’s gathering limits, he said.
“Johnson County is the only county that hasn’t lost its mind. They are still abiding by the governor’s order and they still are allowing larger events,” West said. “But people don’t want to subject their grandparents or their cousin with asthma (to the virus).”
The bakery arm of the business saw so few large cake orders, West suspended that service, he said.
“We suspended operations but we aren’t gone forever. Our wedding cakes made the business … little $30 to $40 cakes don’t pay the bills,” he said.
Entering the holiday season, business is declining further, West said.
So far, two small gatherings are planned there the rest of the year, and during a time when the catering business would peak — typically a hectic pace of holiday events — West is predicting 10% of his usual business.
The challenges cut Grafton Peek’s workforce in half — to 15 from 31 — earlier this year. Now, they’re down to seven with the new reality of gathering limits setting in.
Laying off employees was hard, but it had to be done to save the business and make sure they have a job to return to later, West said.
“It is scary because, with us, we are a family,” he said. “Cultivating this group of people took 18 years.”
Without the release of more Paycheck Protection Program dollars, it will be hard for Grafton Peek or any venue like it to survive, said West, who is surviving on the initial federal loan, savings and investment income. But it gets harder everyday.
“I’m scared for the future of my employees, my business and the U.S. economy,” West said.
Greenwood comedy club pleading for help
Pandemic restrictions have been no laughing matter for Gutty’s Comedy Club, owner Steve Rivera said.
Before the new gathering limits, the club had finally started to pick up a little momentum after it had to close earlier this year. It even had a handful of sell-out shows, he said.
Now, tables are set up for two to four people six feet apart, and only 50 people are allowed in the small Greenwood space while Johnson County is in "orange," and the fear of dialing back to just 25 per show if the county goes "red" looms.
“We would have to have five shows per day to make it (in red),” Rivera said.
The comedy club offers pay per view online streaming for each of its shows, but that hasn’t had nearly the success Rivera was hoping for, he said.
Just a year into the business, Gutty’s has sold so few tickets recently, Rivera is asking for donations from fans and investors to keep the doors open and continue to offer clean, family-friendly comedy for years to come. The reality is, that may not happen.
Supporters can watch shows in person or online, but may also buy a gift card to use at a future show or donate at guttyscomedy.com.
The club also received a PPP loan, but like Grafton Peek, that money has dried up. The club needs about $20,000 to keep its doors open for a second year, Rivera said.
“We just need help,” he said. “There has been nothing but great reviews. It is a community; it has become not just a place to see comedy.”
Edinburgh theater still dedicated to giving back
For a few months, regional bands had a place to play again.
Edinburgh’s Pixy Theatre is virtually closed due to the gathering limit, owner Mike Harding said.
Concerts and plays scheduled the rest of the year are canceled or postponed, though the facility may still be rented for small, private gatherings, Harding said.
“We did that out of an abundance of caution,” Harding said. “We had strict seating limits inside, but we had very low attendance anyway. We figured it was in the best interest of the public to close for the rest of this year.”
Reopening its doors after the first round of closures in the spring was more for the musicians than it was the business, he said.
“We never got more than the limit back then,” Harding said. “ We did it mainly for the bands.”
Besides a few shows this year, the venue had one wedding.
One bright spot this year was opening up a space in the lobby for a beloved staple of the Edinburgh Farmers Market, Geri Girl Bakery, to serve coffee and pastries on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The bakery was also impacted by the pandemic, but is staying open for carry-out orders.
For Harding, who makes his living as an erosion control expert, The Pixy was never a way to make money, but a beloved side project and a way to give back to the community, he said.
Despite the pandemic, he plans to continue giving back for years to come.
