Today is a special day for many local businesses as North Bay officially opens into the Red Zone as part of Ontario's re-opening framework.
Paul McLean, Skaters North Source for Sports owner, is excited to open up again to the public at the two locations (Fisher Street and Northgate Shopping Centre) after experiencing record sales at the combined locations in December.
"Thanks to everyone who has been supportive of the store over the last year, it means so much to me and to the staff," McLean said.
"We are excited to open up Monday at both the main store and the mall.
McLean, who just celebrated a birthday, has a special birthday wish of success for businesses like his that are now able to open again.
"While I’m thrilled to finally be opening up again it’s hard to not think about the restaurants and their employees who are still waiting for business to return to seating customers," said McLean.
"I’m way too old for birthday gifts but if you can remember to support your local restaurants and call them or order directly that would be the best present I could ever ask for. Here’s to the new year being nothing like the last one."
Derek Shogren, Canadian Tire general manager took the weekend to show off the aisles of his business including a long lineup of new bicycles for sale.
"Hurray, it has been 71 days," Shogren stated via Facebook.
"Here are some of the things you can look forward to when we open on Monday."
While the news may appear to be positive for restaurants in the region, the maximum of 10 clients indoors still makes it tough for some local establishments to open up. So some just aren't.
"As North Bay returns to the COVID-19 response framework, Ivan's is excited to see more small businesses re-open across our region," Ivan's Restaurant stated on its social media page.
"With the Red-Zone limits placed on indoor gatherings, Ivan's will continue with our current service model."
