Megan Malone, Erin Dyer - Tiny House Bar
MARCH 21, 2020 © Right Here, Right Now.
Erin
It’s been really encouraging the last few days with everyone still trying to support Tiny House, and it makes me really happy that I’m at an independently owned place instead of a big corporation. We can be very nimble and innovative and try new stuff so that has been really morale lifting from what it was like at the beginning of the week when they’re like “Oh it’s just over for now”.
Megan
We went from setting new records in sales every week, January was our busiest month, and we celebrated our one year anniversary on March 13th and then closed indefinitely on March 15th. So, it’s hard to plan for something like that but after that initial hump I became really proud of how many hospitality workers were ahead of the trend in terms of, you know, even the best advice of the government and recognize the role we could play and keeping other people safe and I’m really proud of us for that. And then trying to find really good alternatives to keep in business, keep the economy going, keep people’s spirits up and do whatever we can. We’ve looked at staying open for drive-through or delivery and also, like, should we bring in toilet paper, and hand towels and supplies and do what we can and pivot in a way we would have never anticipated? And nobody I know is even sick yet which is always a looming stressor.
The first time that I really realized what was going on I was absolutely sick to my stomach because we’re family, I know everything about what weird rash you have, or who you got ghosted by, or that you've saved up to buy this laptop you know? So I think when I was going through the separation paperwork from unemployment it just washed over me like a ton of bricks cause they aren’t just names for me, they are all the people I really care about. And I kind of went into another mode like what can we do to keep all these people afloat because I’m not seeing any kind of direct leadership and people were saying “wait until a couple of months”, aren’t aware of the cash flow issues that a lot of people have. So I guess it’s going day by day and just trying to see what can we do to really support each other and get as creative as possible. I firmly believe that there will be a ton of creativity that will come out of this but also like you know, kind of the worst is ahead of us so it feels kind of like building a house on quicksand. So I’m trying to provide some kind of clear leadership in a time there is no clear direction.
Erin
It’s been great having Megan because there are only like four of us that work here but that’s the thing, it was like yesterday when we came in she was like “Alright let's talk, the liquor laws have changed…we’re making a drive-thru”. It was just nice to have something to do, it’s nice to be out there still doing something. We’ve spent so much time here with people in it and with people out of it, it does feel kind of like home I guess. It’s a little torn apart right now but it still feels good to be here.
Megan
Erin helped us set up the place so she’s seen it from a white box to what it is today, and we spend a couple of hours together prepping and doing stuff like that. I guess I was surprised at how quickly we missed the social interaction and seeing our customers. I made it through day one and I hadn’t completely reversed my position on Facetime before I would be like “Why? stop!” and I ended up Facetiming 4 people on the first day (laughs) just trying to touch base and get eyes on people. Yesterday, when we had the drive-through, it was really the first time we got to see people and encourage them and remotely wave.
Erin
The deliveries have been fun for me, I see regulars that come in all the time and your like “Oh, you work nights at a hospital and now you’re getting a gin and tonic”, it’s a lot more personal.
Megan
Everyone wants to drink, but no one knows what to do. You don’t know how long you’re going to be able to get supplies or know how long those supplies will be available. So without stoking those fears, we want to be able to provide in a rational way. So what I did was talk to local suppliers like Coopers Chase Vodka which comes from western Nebraska and Soldier Valley Whiskey, and say can we continue to support you and provide Nebraska products? Hopefully, that’ll work.
Erin
Yesterday when you were like “I’m gonna put in a new order for gin and tonics” I was like, that feels so encouraging, the fact that you’re going to be ordering more and not selling off what we have.
Megan
It was definitely a change in mentality too, being like “That's it”, we’re going to be part of the people providing the supplies instead of part of the people hiding in their house. As a deep germaphobe…we’ve been sanitizing the exterior knobs…we really felt that we could control sanitation here at this window with gloves and taking contactless payment, and still be responsible and that’s why we were one of the first bars to shut down because we could see immediately in the close quarters of Tiny House there is no way to have 50 people in here or 10 people.
Erin
I look forward to the future that everything can open up again and be able to go…I don’t know…
Megan
I think people are going to come out of this changed and way more grateful and aware of how blessed we’ve been our whole lives, especially in the interior of the Midwest especially like war, has never really touched us on the home ground like it’s about to, and it’s a different face, it’s a medical issue instead of a violence issue but I can just foresee people being so grateful to be able to walk down the street and go to their favorite places and being deeply respectful of their sanitation workers, their hospital workers, and their Janitors, and their grocery store workers. All work has dignity. And this is an industry that’s been traditionally denigrated you know people ask you all the time “When are you getting a real job?", “What's your real job?", “Here’s a tip, get a degree”. Things like that. And you saw this industry nationwide understand a global crisis and respond to it faster than the government and some of our leading industries. I talked to my friend who is a grocery worker and she’s working overnights and they’re 72-hour shifts and preparing every day, and risking her health. So I just hope we come out with a broader understanding that truly all work has dignity and these people need to be supported and paid sick leave and paid well and I hope that’s what comes out of that.
Truly we are all in it together and it might be a different scale, someone might be worried about having 2,000 or someone else worrying about having $20, but like somethings gonna have to come through, we’re all gonna have to pull together. And if you feel like this is your time to get a 6 - pack, or finish that rug, or do whatever, then do it. This is the first time that I’m potentially not going to be at work 6 days a week since I was 14. Like what does that look like? You know, I’m going to have to examine my identity as a workaholic and pour my energy into other things. So if you need to chill and just clean your house, embrace whatever time you can. I think that can be super valuable in learning about you and what you need. I might get my closet organized finally (laughs)
I feel pretty resilient but it's almost like a survival mode has kicked in. I’ve been waking up between 4-6 am and just like thinking of all the things. Like making a list, I do kind of feel a little bit of excitement at the potential of being a creative person and not just a business owner, which is creative, but maybe making our merchandise and doing things like that. So i’ve been just trying to focus on the silver lining and truly things right now…are okay…they’re not great but no one's hurt, no ones sick, and ultimately those are the things that are really going to start stressing. So I’m trying to not stress out about money and things that…theres got to be some communal relief, there’s got to be, so I would just hold onto that hope and then take it day by day, there’s no sense in borrowing trouble, we don’t know what’s gonna happen.
Erin
Seeing the support of people who are like, “I’m going to make a conscious effort to support all the local places that I love”...you know, hearing from our customers really means a lot to me. Just seeing the way people are pulling together for the community really makes me happy to be part of this industry.
