Although restrictions are set to lift on February 8th, the date can’t come soon enough for some businesses. The Bluebird Café and Co. in Rimbey is a new business that opened in November struggling under the weight of restrictions after receiving no financial supports.

“I haven't been able to qualify for anything and there's a lot of coffee to sell to make rent. It’s a lot of cups of coffee when my dining room is closed and I'm not selling food or anything like that,” said Holly Schell, Owner of the Blue Bird Coffee Co.

She understood it would be challenging to open her business during a pandemic but she felt it was necessary to create a bit of happiness for herself and her five-year-old daughter. She said she put everything she had into opening and running the café last last year.

“I know some people think I'm probably crazy for opening during a pandemic, but I wanted to follow my dreams. We lost our house to a fire in June and I needed to feel like I had something, like a sense of home I guess and that's what my little shop has turned into,” said Schell.

Additionally, Schell wanted to support her employees who have struggles and goals of their own.

“One of my girls’ husband has recently been diagnosed with MS and he's unable to work. I was literally her only source of income for her family. That was the hardest part of seeing her not being able to work, and the stress that it put on her and her husband and their kids. The other girl I have here, she is a volunteer firefighter and working towards becoming a paramedic,” explained Schell.

She was inspired to open after seeing the Whistle Stop Café open against restrictions earlier in January.  She says she respects what Alberta Health Services has tried to accomplish and has patiently waited to see the curve of infection trend downwards before opening.

“Personally, I do believe in curbing the spread of the virus. My mom has asthma and then my dad has COPD. I'm all about protecting them, my customers, myself, my employees, and my daughter. I know that there is a right way to do that and I know I'm doing it the right way,” said Schell.

The business owner has a box of face masks at the entrance of her business, hand sanitizer at every table, and maintains a total of ten people within her business at all times.

Since she’s opened, not only has she seen quite a few customers, they have also been quite generous paying forward the cost of their meal and someone else’s.

“It's just shows the unity and the community. I think people have a lot of respect for what we're trying to do and for the restaurants here,” she added.

Of course, it hasn’t been easy for Schell who says she’s experienced a more intimidating RCMP officer that forced her to close down early on Thursday, January 28.

“He was just very intimidating. He came in to intimidate me and we're just an all-female team... This guy came in, he raised his voice to me, and he just could have handled it so much differently. I have nothing but respect for all law enforcement and all essential services but the way he spoke to me, the way he intimidated me, and yelled was unnecessary,” she explained.

On Friday, January 29, Schell kept quiet about her decision to open business out of fear of the same RCMP officer would return to her business while her 5-year-old daughter joined her at her business. 

Schell said understanding her rights as a business owner has been very important with opening up against restrictions. Although it hasn’t been easy, she looks forward to welcoming customers as best she can.