For Tom and Mary Joy Lynch, Wooster was an idyllic place for their retirement.
Freshly moved from Parma, they opened Lynch s Irish Imports and Gifts and the Market Street Inn bed and breakfast in 2017.
For three years business boomed. Imports from Ireland arrived on time and guests regularly checked in.
Then in 2020, COVID-19 struck, forcing them to close along with all other nonessential businesses. We flatlined, Tom Lynch said.
Wooster s tourism scene that relies on agriculture, city and college events came to a halt in 2020 with the pandemic. This new reality forced many restaurants, stores and hotels to temporarily close or lay off employees.
WOOSTER It s been a difficult year for businesses.
Despite the challenges, economic development agencies have worked nonstop to encourage shopping local and supporting the business community in Wooster and Wayne County.
Wooster City Council passed a resolution Monday night to assist with funding for three agencies Main Street Wooster, the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce and the Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The agencies rely on bed tax for a large portion of their budgets.
The stay-at-home order and the cancelation of events throughout the year resulted in less people traveling and staying in hotels. With fewer hotel says, bed tax was significantly down for 2020.