DURHAM, NC – Business owners are concerned about a law they fear will slow economic growth in North Carolina.
What you need to know
Businesses are expressing concern over the legislation, which they fear will hurt the economy
The Women, Children, and Families Care Act restricts abortion in North Carolina
Business owners say it will deter people from moving to and visiting the state
Clients in a resting pose during a prenatal yoga class at Blue Point Yoga. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)
More than 200 businesses that signed the Don’t Ban Equality in NC letter say the Care for Women, Children and Families Act, which restricts abortion, will only hurt them in the long run.
The owner of Blue Point Yoga in Durham says the business depends on a clientele that may choose not to locate in North Carolina because of this legislation.
“We have a transient community and we rely on them, and so it’s very troubling to me and the studio as a whole that we’re dealing with financial losses that we have no control over,” said Casey Therrien, owner of Blue Point . yoga “It’s not my business as a businessman.”
In recent years, small businesses have faced battle after battle, barely surviving before the next hurdle comes crashing down the pipeline. She says the pandemic is still fresh in her mind and many businesses have yet to fully recover.
Casey Therrien. the owner of Blue Point Yoga, teaches a yoga class. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)
“It’s like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’ Here’s another thing,” Therrien said. “And being a business owner is all about learning how to be resilient, how to adapt, how to make do with what you’ve been given and then how to move forward.”
He says political choices are intrinsically linked to the economic world and he fully expects to see impacts on his business. Blue Point Yoga has been a staple in Durham for nearly two decades, and now it doesn’t want to see anything bring it down.
“Small businesses like mine will take a small drop in the economic bucket, but for us, it’s a huge, huge problem that we’re very aware of,” Therrien said. “I just want to do my business, and I want to be successful, and I want people to come, and I want people to be authentic and show themselves because yoga is for everyone.”
