CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Businesses in the Charlotte area are gearing up for Easter and working to keep traditions going in a trying time.
Matt Davis, the Franchise Owner for The Honey Baked Ham Company, is trying to keep business running as usual at his seven locations around the Greater Charlotte region.
The locations in Gastonia, Cornelius, Concord, Rock Hill, Hickory, Burlington, and Simpsonville are serving up Honey Baked Hams curbside this year.
"They want the tradition,” Davis said. “They want something normal in their life, and lately it hasn't been."
Davis said he has had many sleepless nights lately worrying about the business amid the crisis. The catering and lunch business has seen a decline, but Davis expects each store to sell between 1,000 to 2,500 hams over the Easter holiday weekend, which is on target with normal years.
"With a Honey Baked store, it gets hard for the summertime,” Davis said, “but with the Easter volume, it makes it a lot easier, wondering how you're going to pay the rent, utilities, even with the SBA, small business loans that they’re doing, you still wonder.”
The stores have stepped up cleaning and sanitizing procedures. All operations for pick up of Easter hams will be done outside via a curbside drive-up lane.
Morris Costumes in Charlotte is trying to keep the tradition of the Easter Bunny going strong.
Scott Morris, president of Morris Costumes, said the bunny costumes have been flying off the shelves this year.
"Easter time is a fairly busy season for us,” Morris said. “Typically we're selling bunny suits, but that volume is probably four times, five times what it normally is."
The costume store is not renting out the costumes this year due to health concerns amid the crisis, but they are available for anyone who would like to purchase one to bring joy to their neighborhood or loved ones.
“In this day and age of all this fear and uncertainty,” Morris said, “we all need a little bit of fun, a little bit of laughter, a little bit of love."
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