The words last night from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine were impossible to misconstrue. 

"If the current rend of cases keep increasing, we will be forced to close restaurants, bars and fitness centers", said DeWine in a press briefing. 

This statement is causing concern among several business owners, particularly restaurant owners across the state border. 

In Conneaut, on State Street, sits State Street Diner, owned by Mark Mirando. He has already had to shut down his storefront once during the pandemic, earlier in the spring. 

That did not go well for sales. 

"It was like getting pounded", Mirando said. "I didn't realize it was going to cost me as much as it did to be down [for a while]".

It cost him over $12,000. Mirando said when he finally reopened, things were even more difficult, as the price to buy product had skyrocketed. 

A few streets down, Angela Wilson has had similar troubles at Angela's Cafe. Right now, she is only allowed 16 people inside her restaurant, per state mandates. 

"I am still losing business now", said Wilson. "I don't have all of my full tables like I usually do."

And with the small space comes a lack of revenue. Wilson says she has had to turn some customers away. 

"People have to walk out, especially on a Saturday", Wilson said.  "If every table that I'm allowed to have here is full, people walk out."

Knowing that business is tanking even while being open is leading both Wilson and Mirando to worry that another shutdown could prove to be detrimental. 

For Mirando, it could mean losing a significant amount of his personal savings. 

"I just got even recently. I told myself there aren't going to be any paychecks for Mark for a long time", said Mirando. "I took my social security because I needed it, because I didn't have any money".

Wilson also worries for the local economy. She believes that small businesses are the backbone of small towns. 

Without them, people would have nowhere to turn. 

"It would be sad for the economy", Wilson said. "It would be bad. It's already a small town, there's not a lot here. People look forward to what is here."

If another shutdown were to happen, owners feel as if they have a plan to save their storefronts. Wilson plans to do take out orders. Mirando says he would look into delivery. 

But they both feel that as long as everyone is staying safe, the doors should be allowed to remain open.

"If you comply, I don't understand what the problem is", Mirando said. "I know the Governor is trying to make the best decision for the good of all, but people are getting hammered."

This story was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.