Rebuilding America: How businesses will reopen after coronavirus and navigate a new reality

New Jersey is about to experience the most comprehensive economic awakening since World War II. After months of economic lockdown, we are on the verge of “reopening” our economy. NorthJersey.com is in an ideal position to tell the story of how America’s economy will be rebuilt — a process that begins on Main Streets in New Jersey. 

Our series Rebuilding America focuses on the innovative approaches that businesses are taking in the face of hardships that were unforeseen and unforgiving in their scope. The series will help you understand how this reopening will occur and how you can navigate it — not only for yourselves, but to help lift our communities so that we all benefit. 

Hospitals and nursing homes

In a new world of health care in New Jersey for hospitals, ambulatory care centers, doctors’ offices and nursing homes, the patient’s car may become the waiting room for doctor’s appointments and diagnostic tests. No visitors will be allowed, and the only companions permitted will be for birthing mothers, dying patients, children receiving care, and those requiring help to move or communicate. Virtual consults via telehealth will take the replace of many visits that previously occurred face-to-face.

Retail in downtowns and malls

Since the pandemic hit, businesses have had to finds ways to keep their operations from going under. Those changes, experts and business owners say, are likely to carry on well after the pandemic subsides. That’s because with changing consumer habits, a summer of social distancing, and high-profile bankruptcies, the North Jersey retail world will look far different when stores reopen.

Tourism

Stretched queues, grab-and-go concessions and contactless entry could become the new normal as the Garden State attempts to restart its tourism economy that set new records in 2019. Social distancing requirements and other restrictions could drastically cut turnout. Yet reopening tourist destinations will require new methods of sanitization and customer interaction.

Car sales

Car sales showed early signs of recovery in May, and the pandemic has been a catalyst for teaching car buyers how to price out deals online, in the comfort of their own homes. "If you don't come into this with the mindset of 'adapt to survive,' " one dealer said, "it's going to be a painful process." Dealers who outlast the pandemic will be more equipped to cater to tech-savvy customers.

Higher education

When and if colleges reopen campuses in the fall, they may look very different from the bustling lecture halls, packed sports stadiums and dorm life of the past. College and university leaders across the region say they are planning for multiple scenarios. Depending on the path of the coronavirus and advice from health experts, that could involve staggered classes, a hybrid of online and in-person instruction and singles-only one-student dorm rooms.

Grocery shopping

New Jersey's supermarkets became ground zero in March as a sign of how life changed because of the coronavirus. As one of the few kinds of businesses still open, there have been people saw chaotic crowds, empty shelves and social distancing measures. Some of those changes may not be going away. Chain supermarkets and mom-and-pop shops are facing similar problems in the wake of the pandemic, but smaller stores are dealing with smaller slim profit margins.

Residential real estate

During the pandemic, realtors have been unable to conduct open houses, so they have been showing homes through virtual tours, video and photos. That has led realtors to a different sort of customer – serious buyers rather than those on a lark who look at houses and waste realtors' time. Those serious, committed buyers are keeping the state’s real estate market afloat after it took a big hit because of coronavirus.

Restaurants

Talk to North Jersey restaurateurs and chefs and you'll hear the same thing over and over again: "Restaurants are never going to be the same." What exactly can you expect when restaurants finally are permitted to open their dining rooms to guests — and takeout and delivery are no longer the only options food lovers have for restaurant-quality eats?

Financial services

Financial planners, accountants and insurance brokers say they are quickly changing how they do business, from shifts in investment advice to deferring premiums and rewriting policies. But with small businesses making up a significant proportion of their clients, they worry that a longer shutdown, an end to government deadline extensions and a drop-off in stimulus programs will cause large-scale business failures and more economic pain.

Arts and entertainment

Arts organizations, like everyone else in Bergen County, are waiting. They're waiting for state and local officials to issue guidelines, restrictions. And most importantly, they're waiting for the public. When — and under what circumstances — will people feel comfortable going to a theater, attending a concert, fraternizing at a festival?

Youth sports

The next three months for New Jersey's youth club and academy sports teams will be predicated on planning, which includes a number of challenges, including scheduling, venue and tournament preparation,as well as hiring coaches, while keeping safety at the forefront. The approach remains cautious.

Golf

Golf, with its 18 holes often spread across 100-plus acres, allows players to follow 6-foot “social distancing” guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control. That gives golf the opportunity to become sports’ leader during society’s battle to return to normalcy.  

Home improvement services

New Jersey's home improvement industry, much of which is considered essential business, has fared relatively well during the pandemic. Some stores have seen sales have increased about 25% since the pandemic hit. With everyone stuck at home, many residents rerouted the money from their canceled vacations to finance repairs and additions to their homes.