BILTRITE Furniture Leather Mattresses is openly challenging Governor Evers' executive order that closed it, and in so doing it has struck a blow against the arbitrary and capricious manner in which Evers has designated certain businesses as "non-essential."
The Greenfield store (which, full disclosure, "The Dan O'Donnell Show" proudly endorses) sent a letter to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation exposing the double standards and blatant favoritism the state is showing big box retailers while making a compelling case that BILTRITE is in fact an essential business and should be allowed to re-open.
"An advantage has inadvertently been created by acknowledging certain businesses as essential," wrote BILTRITE owner Gail K. "Big Box Stores and Online retailers remain open because they sell 'essential' items such as over the counter medication, food, hardware, and appliances.
"However, these retailers are not limited to selling products deemed essential. They are selling and shipping home furnishings throughout Wisconsin and nationwide while home furnishings retailers such as BILTRITE are left with uncertainty and dire business consequences."
BILTRITE'S argument is as simple as it is compelling: With so many more people working from home and now taking care of elderly family members who may have been forced from their care facilities because of the COVID-19 outbreak, furniture stores are more essential than ever.
"Staying at home is essential to defeating COVID-19 and home furnishings are essential for staying at home," Gail K. noted. "With little to no warning, Americans have been directed to work from home. Many find themselves in ill-equipped spaces that hamper their productivity.
"Assisted living facilities are sending elderly patients to their families as a precaution leaving those families to search for beds/mattresses, lift-chairs and other necessary furnishings to provide proper care. In homes where a family member may suffer from poor mobility, a lift-chair becomes a necessity to help facilitate ease of movement as well as safety when attempting to get in and out of a chair."
The store is asking for permission to reopen its showroom safely and with social distancing guidelines in place. BILTRITE remains open for phone orders each weekday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.