With Saskatchewan giving the go-ahead to retail businesses to reopen yesterday, some in Swift Current are choosing to open their doors while others remain shuttered.

CMX Powersports and Cypress Motors in Swift Current have opted for the former of those two options, citing that their business relies on the ‘look-see-touch’ approach to moving products.

Sputtergotch Toy Company in Swift Current said that they can rely on their digital sales and will leave their in-store operations for the future.

Ken Erickson, service manager at Cypress Motors and general manager at CMX Powersports

We're really looking forward to getting things back to normal and seeing our customers. Our customers of both businesses are kind of like our family in a lot of cases. We appreciate everybody coming in.”

“We have fun with our customers [they are] more like our friends and family. We're really excited to start seeing some faces and start interacting with people on a personal level rather than just over the phone and the computer, while social also distancing and keeping them safe.”

He adds they will also offer face masks and hand sanitizer.

Garry Koebel, the owner of Sputtergotch Toy Company, said that the decision to not reopen their doors wasn’t an easy one to make,

“We’ve gone through the agonizing decision of what we wanted to do come May 19 when phase two was [set] to reopen. Part of our hesitation of opening is we’re very kid-centric. We do have a lot of kids that come into our premises, and our greatest concern is for our safety and health of not only our customers but for our staff as well.”

“We just felt that with so many touchpoints in our store, we just weren’t comfortable reopening right at this particular time. We would like to see what direction cases of COVID are going to go after reopening, after a period of time.”

The decision came after a week of deliberation. Koebel also said that they have been missing seeing their customers and wish to be open, but want to put safety before business.

Art supplies, Lego, puzzles and crafts are all available at the store as people look to keep busy in their COVID-19-influenced lives.

He said that they have been keeping up sales through phone and online sales, while they also ship Canada-wide which gives them more flexibility in the situation.

They also offer curbside pickups and free shipping in Swift Current.

An array of businesses ranging from hairdressers to flower shops are included in the recently relaxed restrictions.