Retailers and restaurants in downtown Hartford are struggling. These businesses depend on foot traffic from professionals who work in offices or attend sporting events and theaters, which have all been canceled due to the pandemic.
“We were really, really doing well, and then as soon as COVID hit, our business totally fell apart,” Jody Morneault said.
Shuttered at the beginning of the pandemic, Morneault’s clothing store, Stackpole Moore Tryon, was forced to lay off its employees. Morneault said for them, it didn’t really make sense to access the paycheck protection program.
