Mohammed Rashid’s cricket practice, coaching and instructional facility seemed poised to capitalize nicely on the increased popularity of the game in Atlanta. Then came the pandemic.
COVID made its appearance at a tough time for Rashid’s venture — the fledgling enterprise had only been in business for about two years. Suddenly, nobody wanted to show up and take swings in the batting cages or learn more about the fine points of the game.
The federal grant through the city was significant, Rashid said, allowing them to keep current with the rent on their place and helping to cover utilities and the salary of one part-time employee.
On a less positive note, he said, they were invited to apply for an SBA Targeted Economic Injury Advance loan, then told that they didn’t qualify due to being in a high-income area.
“Our business dropped significantly, and we literally had to shut it down; then we opened back up, but nobody came,” he recalled of the dark months of 2020. “We tried to survive in a different way by selling some products, even delivering some products.”
Rashid explained that they delivered balls, bats and protective gear to some playgrounds to help them survive economically.
The cricketeer said the shutdown lasted a couple of months and that after reopening, they only allowed one person to be in the batting cages in their entire 10,000-square-foot building. That has since loosened up, he indicated.
From February on, after vaccinations picked up, some things looked brighter. “But still for a lot of customers, it’s not comfortable for them to come indoors,” Rashid said. “Still, we are in bad shape.”
He said the business has rebounded to about 30-40% of pre-pandemic levels and he’s hopeful that they’ll tack another 10-20% on to that by, say, July.
Like Fernandez, Rashid is impressed by the level of help that Peachtree Corners city officials have supplied. As Rashid put it, “From anybody, any time we went to the city, we got the highest level of service — and from their heart. At every single step, they always stood by us to help.”
He feels that a combination of limited occupancy and stringent cleanup measures are helping keep patrons confident and the threat of COVID at bay. Rashid said that, among other measures, they’re utilizing an anti-COVID fogging machine each hour to disinfect the entire facility.
Rashid noted that the landlord has offered some discounts and that, with a little bit more help on that score and from the city, “we will definitely be surviving. If we can survive 2021, this business will survive for a decade, I think,” he said.
He pointed to the growing popularity of the sport, saying he’s formed a cricket team himself and that his business supports others with marketing and other help. There is an active league in the Cumming area, he said, and the city of Johns Creek has offered batting cages and other practice facilities for cricketeers.
Asked about whether he thought government in general was doing enough to help smaller enterprises during the pandemic, he replied this way in an e-mail. “Small business is the heart of the U.S. economy. If this is true, government should identify real injured business proactively. Government is doing a lot, but it’s random.”
