Businesses on Moonah’s shopping and dining strip are grappling with hard choices during the outbreak

The heartbreaking effect of COVID-19 restrictions can be seen on the faces of small businesses owners on a busy cafe and shopping strip. These are their stories.

CAFES, hairdressers, book shops and sex shops: small businesses in Tasmania are individually grappling with what to do during the COVID-19 crisis.

In Hobart’s Northern suburbs, community concern combined with commercial interest is keeping some traders open, while others believe they best serve the public interest by closing.

During a weekday lunch time this week the cafe and shopping strip in Moonah was subdued.

Cars streamed steadily along Main Rd, but foot traffic was relatively light.

The area’s pubs and poker machine rooms, along with popular restaurant St Albi, were closed last month in line with Federal Government restrictions on larger venues.

Almost all Moonah’s smaller cafes and restaurants have remained open for takeaways as permitted – however many were empty at what should have been the busiest time of day.

Magnolia 73 owners Rick Thirlwell and Jonathan Hodgkin said although business was down by around 75 per cent, they would stay open unless shut down by the government.

Co-owners of Magnolia 73 Cafe in Moonah Rick Thirlwell and partner Jonathan Hodgkiin. Picture: Zak Simmonds

They said their cafe was a haven for people with disabilities and the socially isolated.

“It’s really weird because a lot of businesses have locked down before the government said lock down,” Mr Thirlwell said.

“I think we will struggle along, emptying every bank account we can.”

Mr Hodgkin said it was important businesses continued to be allowed to provide home cooked meals.

“Not everyone can cook,” he said.

A customer waiting by the front door began to cry, as she explained she lived alone and that visiting Magnolia 73 each day was sometimes her only social contact.

“It’s really hard … Sorry it’s just been a bad day today,” she said, wiping away tears

Sarinya Tangkan, who was on her lonesome in her usually busy Thai restaurant, said she felt it her duty to stay open while still allowed.

This was despite the vegetarian restaurant and takeaway next door being closed, due to “the COVID-19 outbreak”.

Ms Tangkan said she was waiting for government wage subsidies to flow so she could pay her staff.

Owner of Sarinya Thai Fusion in Moonah, Sarinya Tangkan. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“Hopefully I can get my staff back because I miss them,” she said.

Moonah coffee institution Shake A Leg Jnr abruptly closed last Thursday.

A notice on the businesses’s Facebook page said communication on ever-changing rules had been “s**t”.

“A constant message, though, has been “use common sense”. Well, common sense tells us that if it’s not safe to have two people visit your home and that we should only leave the house for necessities, then it’s also not safe for cafes to stay open, even for takeaways. If our governments won’t say it then we will,” the post said.

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Some hairdressers were closed while others remained open, with current rules allowing them to operate with strict social distancing.

Caj Hair and Beauty Studio closed last week.

“This has been an extremely hard decision, but these past two weeks in particular have really had a very big impact on my personal morals and my compassion for others, my work family and their health,” said a Facebook post by the owner.

Moonah newsagency owner Rhonda Cooper said they were considered an essential service and would continue to operate.

The local Adult Shop was open, however a notice on the door said samples of massage oil and lubricants had been removed in the interests of customer safety.