b'THE BOTTOM LINEsupporting role. Uber Eats and otherA lost Christmas shopping season the years. With the arrival of COVID-19, take-out apps provided a 21st-centurysoon followed. both staff and patrons were stressed out solution in the face of enormous externalTebruegge had wanted to open a storeas they entered the unknown, unaware pressures. At the end of the day, Georgoulisthat supports the Village at a time whenof the seriousness of what was on the speaks strongly about the need to supportgay villages are disappearing across Northhorizon. As a result, the bar had to close our small independently owned localAmerica as they slowly merge into largerfor over a year. businesses, without which we would havesociety. Saving these villages, he says, isAs a business without food service or no Village. vital: Villages are still important; [theytakeout, it was a hard close. Bartenders, In November 2019, just a few monthsmaintain] a necessary sense waiters and entertainers lost most of before COVID-19 arrived on our shores,of community. their income, which relied heavily on entrepreneur Peter Tebruegge openedIn the end, COVID-19 presentedgratuities. Had it not been for the federal Grapefruit, a clothing store off of ChurchGrapefruit with an opportunity to go localgovernments quick response with Street on Wellesley. The pandemicsby inspiring the business to start its ownprograms such as CERB, it would have biggest challenge for him was being aclothing line, G-Basics. The entire line isbeen disastrous. Without federal support, new store which for four months wasproduced in Toronto at an affordable priceWoodys would not have been able to shrouded under construction. The loss ofpoint. The store represents a neutral zoneweather the COVID-19 storm.tourism, around which he had structuredwhere you can take your mom shopping orHaving missed two Prides, people his rent, was a hard blow, as was thesend your sister to shop. It also caters tofrom small towns and cities around the almost complete loss of daily foot traffic orwomen who want to wear the stores moreworld who regularly make the trek to interaction with neighbours and friends.androgenous style of clothing.Toronto have lost out on an important The business was impacted immediately. Tebruegge is heartened by the fact thateventone that allows them to freely Quickly Tebruegge had to pivot tothe LGBTQ+ community is still there forcelebrate who they are.online sales and build an online clientele,its members. He looks forward to tourismAs we become more hopeful that returning and to connecting with oldCOVID-19 is loosening its grip, we have all which represented a 100-per-cent differentfriends while making new ones. He alsobenefited from learning the most valuable sales experience. In contrast to his initialstresses that its important that the cityslesson of all: to be nicer to each other. focus on the Toronto market, he nowqueer community is no longer confined toYou never know when the proverbial rug had to look outward across the widethe Village and hes proud of the fact thatwill be pulled out from under you, and virtual landscape of the Internet. How, hethere are LGBTQ+ businesses all over theCOVID-19, despite its many demons, thought, do you find your demographic? ItGTAbusinesses that need our support has afforded us a time for retrospection was like opening a second business, as well. on family, friends, good times and bad. he says. For over 32 years, Woodys has anchoredWeve collectively had time to recalibrate, When Black Friday came lastChurch Streets Gay Village, with generalreset, be grateful and be optimistic. Its November, just before the 2nd COVID-19manager Dean Odorico managing the joywith a newfound spirit that we are moving wave precipitated a new lockdown, the bigand pain and the many challenges andforward, to the good times that I firmly stores dominated the world of shopping. triumphs that the bar has experienced overbelieve lie ahead.PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORYCAPITAL PRIDEMICROSOFT CANADA www.capitalpride.ca .21 www.microsoft.com .9, DigitalFUTURPRENEUR CANADARBC ROYAL BANK https://www.futurpreneur.ca/en Digitalwww.rbcroyalbank.com .Inside Front Cover, Outside Back Cover, DigitalGARDEN VARIETY https://gardenvariety.com/ 6 SHERRARD KUZZ LLC HICKORY DICKORY DECKSwww.sherrardkuzz.com 13https://decks.ca/about-us/franchise-opportunities/ .23, Digital TD BANK KENASTON WINE MARKETwww.td.com/foreverprogressing Inside Back Cover, Digitalhttps://kenastonwine.com/ .7THE QUEER SHOPPING NETWORK MANULIFE FINANCIALwww.thequeershoppingnetwork.com 24www.manulife.com/en/careers/why-join-us.html .DigitalMESH DIVERSITY INC.YAAAS AUTOMOTIVE www.meshdiversity.com Digital https://yaaasautomotive.ca/ 726| QBiz CANADA | 2021'