Sporting goods store forced to shut down, owner says lockdown must stop

Trisha Jones

CLOSED: GMSG Derby has been forced to close due to the governor’s shutdown orders, and now the owner is trying to manage expenses with little government aid.

 

DERBY, Vt. — Retail business Green Mountain Sporting Goods has been forced to close for the governor’s economic shutdown and the owner says she doesn’t have enough money for her business or family, including her four children.

Trisha Jones, who runs sporting goods stores in Derby and Irasburg, says her total loss in revenue caused by Vermont’s “Stay Home” orders is unsustainable.

“According to the governor and his list of essential and non-essential businesses, retail sporting goods is not essential,” Jones told True North in an interview.

“Basically I’ve got zero income from Derby, I’ve been shut down for about a month,” she said. “I still have all the bills from Derby, the loan that I took out to open up the store, my rent for the building, my insurance — all of that with zero income.”

She said the Irasburg location is allowed to continue because it includes gun manufacturing, plus she has a contract to test military products. But it’s still far from full capacity.

“We have to follow every guideline that the governor has sent down, like how many employees to have in the building, offering curbside, doing as much as I can out in the parking lot or over the phone,” she said. “It’s very cumbersome and restrictive on our end, so that doesn’t help the financial burden of one of my businesses being completely shut down.”

Normally she has friends to help her around the shop, but under the new rules she is on her own.

“I have only myself as the only employee, so I don’t qualify for a lot of the small business relief that larger corporations are getting,” she said. “And I know a lot of other small business owners, contractors, independent roofers, and they can’t get any help either.

She said one of her friends is a subcontractor in construction and hasn’t gotten any unemployment or stimulus check yet. She said she understands why the restrictions were placed initially, but now it’s time to let up.

“I get the whole ‘everybody has gotta be careful because this virus could be potentially very devastating,’ but the financial ramifications of what not only the president but the governors have done is going to be a lot more long-lasting,” she said.

“I’m looking at the longevity of Vermont’s economy. I’m worried about how my kids are gonna go to school next year and how they are gonna finish up this year.”

She added that tourism industries such as camping are going to be lost revenues the state usually relies on. She also noted the governor’s determination that her Derby location is non-essential runs contrary to orders from the U.S. Department of Justice that all gun retail stores are essential.

Protests have ignited across the U.S. to free states from overzealous lockdown orders. Last month, U.S. Attorney General William Barr threatened legal action against states that don’t withdraw excessive restrictions.

Jones said she’s doing everything she can to survive.

“I am no lawyer by any means, I’m just a small business owner trying to do whatever I can to keep my businesses open, to keep a roof over my kids’ heads,” she said. “It’s frustrating because Derby was a new store — it was only about a year and a half old and now we have to be shut down with no loss-of-business coverage.”

Even though the coronavirus death tallies for the state and nation are comparable to those of seasonal influenza, Jones says she thinks the numbers are being inflated.

“I don’t trust the numbers across the board,” she said. “My nephew’s girlfriend’s grandfather passed away from a massive heart attack and a local paper said ‘elderly man dies of corona.'”

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Klar, a leader of the conservative “Agripublican” movement, has criticized the Scott Administration for not doing more to protect gun rights during the lockdown.

“Unlike other retail goods, Vermont citizens hold guaranteed rights to acquire and own firearms for self-defense under both state and federal constitutions,” he wrote. “In a declining economic environment, domestic violence is expected to increase — women must especially be safeguarded in their right to purchase protection for themselves or their children in unstable times. Crime rates may also increase, making sales of firearms an essential service for all Vermonters.”

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.

Image courtesy of Trisha Jones

14 thoughts on “Sporting goods store forced to shut down, owner says lockdown must stop

  1. No doubt Ms. Jones is feeling the pinch, but long term, she’ll be ahead. Can she apply for a government loan to tide her over? The last thing she needs is to contact Covid-19 from a customer and bring it home to her four children. If that isn’t enough of an incentive, she should check out Florida and Texas. If that doesn’t register she can go further west to Arizona or California. She can’t run her stores from the ICU or worse.

  2. What kind of newspaper would take the news of an old man dying of a heart attack and turn it into a corona death? I don’t trust any of these numbers. At. All.

  3. Open up the state Mr Governor, or we’ll do it without you.
    Go ahead and send your AG controlled brown shirted lap dogs.
    You can’t fine and jail us all.

  4. I am sorry this is happening to Ms. Jones and the gym owner in Rutland…

    Still asking why places of worship are not yet opened – even at 25% capacity?
    Seems like select amendments from the Bill of Rights and are easily ignored by our leadership.

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…” If you need permission to use your right to freely exercise your religion, it’s not a right.

    Picking winners and losers and discriminating against freedom of worship…. shouldn’t be in the Governors toolkit.

  5. Very sorry to hear your plight, plus asking myself how the state of VT can overrule Federal law enacted by president Trump? The 13 planned parenthood sites in which many provide abortions are open for business, so ask how that’s essential business? This is where many say; Bass Ackwards”. The VT planned hoods’ were so proud last year stating; ‘Fundamental right’: Vermont leaves New York in dust with ‘most radical, pro-abortion legislation’. Planned Parenthood official calls Vermont ‘shining example for all other states.

  6. This weekend I’m opening an outdoor bar. Mask wearers are prohibited. Constitution-hating fearmongers can stay home and complain by email.

    • Good for you! Lets start Independence Day early!! We are ready! And I agree 100%… If you don’t like it or agree, stay home in your “safe zone” and let others live!! The ones against it, are the ones being selfish and uncaring…so stop the blame game

  7. Time for Gov. Scott and friends to stop picking winners and losers in our economic roulette we’re playing and let everyone open up with reasonable guidelines.

  8. This lock down must stop it is destroying small town family business and starting to starve people … let small business open!!!

  9. All small businesses ” Brick & Mortar ” should be open, just as long as these follow the
    guidelines as all the others.

    But you understand Liberals see sporting goods as a way to buy ” firearms ” so they’ll
    drag their feet ” road-block” any lively hood.

    According to the governor and his list of essential and non-essential businesses, retail
    sporting goods are not essential,”

    I think Montpelier is ” Non- Essential “

    • I agree 100% this is way out of hand. Yes we have a few deaths but our economy is worth a lot if we have one.
      With precautions every business in this state should be open.

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