Some Businesses Will Open, Some Won't, Some Wish They Could

CONNECTICUT — Some businesses, mainly retail and restaurants, may open Wednesday. But that doesn't mean they will. Some are not quite ready. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach. But others are raring to go, albeit with masks, Plexiglas, hand sanitizer and rules for staying 6 feet apart.

Bank Square Books in Mystic is eligible to open Wednesday, but it won’t. Not yet, anyway. Kelsy April, children’s book buyer for the well-known and busy shop, said she drove through downtown Mystic last weekend and saw streets full of people, much as historic downtown Mystic would be on a beautiful spring weekend in May. But most businesses were shuttered. And the people weren't exactly social distancing, she noticed, nor were many wearing masks.

“Tons of people out strolling, none are wearing masks. Like a normal May afternoon, I was excited to see people out and about but at same time, nervous — they’re not wearing masks. Not following social distancing. When we open our doors, they’re going to want to come in.”

April said until they have a plan in place to ensure staff and customer safety, there’s “no immediate plan” for the independent bookseller to open its doors. Not quite yet. Bank Square Books and its sister store in Westerly, Rhode Island, Savoy Bookshop & Café, have been closed since mid-March.

“We are coming up with a plan for our pace, one that’s focused on safety and is manageable. We have good ideas,” she said.

“It's not that we don't want to open as soon as possible — we do. But we need to have a plan that works. People want to come in and spend time here. We’re a high-touch business. We have to manage that and incorporate as many good ideas as we can. When we have that plan, we’ll do the same at Savoy.”

April said the Westerly shop also has disappointed customers, “but they see we’re doing the best thing for staff and for customers.”

“We don’t know what will happen. What if after (the reopening) a few weeks go by and (coronavirus) cases spike, and we have to shut down again? We have to think long-term.”

Both stores are open for online and curbside sales. And owner Annie Philbrick created GoFundMe campaign to help the independent bookseller stay afloat. It has raised $40,000.

At the celebrated vegan restaurant G-Zen in Branford, the doors will be fully not open. Not quite yet. But they're getting there. To date, the restaurant has been working hard to provide takeout for its loyal vegan diners. It has also developed a family meal delivery by the chef himself. And folks can get their food delivered via Uber Eats, for example.

Come Wednesday, takeout will continue, and there will be outdoor tables where people who come to pick up orders may eat. There will be no table service and no wait staff, however.

Photo courtesy of Ami Beach /G-Zen

Ami Beach, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, renowned vegan chef Mark Shadle, said providing full, outdoor sit-down dining and table service comes with myriad rules and restrictions that require Herculean efforts by people, something they do not have right now. In March, the restaurant had to lay off 20 people, she said, and operate with a skeleton crew to stay afloat running a takeout business — off a nine-page menu.

And she said they are not alone. She said they’ve spoken to restaurateurs across the state who are not yet doing sit-down service.

“We’re focused on the food and the to-go business now to keep going," Beach said. "And the rest, we have to think through this; there are too many variables” to address.

“Before anyone, we were the first to close the dining room. We set up 'no contact' weeks before (it was law). Contactless is key. We’re not willing to risk the safety of our staff and our customers.”

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When people come to pick up food ordered over the phone, there are a few outside tables where they can enjoy their food, but it’s “self-serve.”

“We are weathering the storm, and we hope this is the first step,” she said, referring to having folks enjoy their meal, albeit on their own and without wait staff.

At specialty sneaker store Sound Runner in Fairfield, Old Saybrook, Glastonbury and Branford, they’re excited to open Wednesday. It’s not ideal trying to fit a sneaker virtually, though they have been doing that for many weeks.

The full COVID-19 contingency plan for reopening was being finalized in a Zoom call Monday, but manager of the Fairfield store, Eileen Gould, said the doors will swing open in all stores Wednesday.

“We have been patiently waiting for the day; now that the day is here, it’s very exciting,” she said Monday afternoon. “Keeping staff and customers safe is the priority, and we’re working on finalizing all those protocols.”

It’s a lot of work. The rules for retail establishments such as Sound Runner include mask-wearing, contactless payments, limited capacity and social distancing,

Gould said the stores have been open for curbside sales. Customers who knew what they wanted would order online and then pick up their items. But this is a sneaker store with all the things that come with it. And it's not just for runners, Gould said; walkers are “on the streets” now more than ever. And they need sneakers that fit.

“We have been doing Zoom fittings — a mini version of what we do in store, but virtual. It’s not the ideal way to fit a running shoe,” she said. But nonetheless, necessity is the mom of invention, so they figured it out.

“It’s amazing what you become accustomed to," she said. "What we all are, like wearing masks, and waiting in line.”

But at Sound Runner, once the doors open, “It’s not going to be like it was before.”

“It’s always been we open the doors and tons of people come in. It won't be that. It will be limited. But this is a people business. We love interacting with our customers.”

“It’s such a caring community,” she said. “We have a lot of support, and that’s one of the most amazing things. We’re just excited to welcome people back in.”

There’s a gym that wished it was opening. The soonest that might happen is whenever the phase two reopening begins on June 20.

Advantage Personal Training of Niantic and Mystic has a large following and lots of customers. Most of them have tried to stay with the business after it was forced to shutter in March, albeit remotely.

Owner Greg Drab said one benefit of being a fitness business in Connecticut is that being closed gives him the chance to see how gyms are faring in other states that have reopened, without having to clear the hurdles they faced and deal with their mistakes. But that’s the only bright side. On the other hand, Drab said, the most important asset a small business owner can have is a positive mindset. So he’s hopeful. In the meantime, he trains people virtually.

“It’s definitely a different workout when coaching someone in person versus remotely,” he said. But they are doing it. They must, to keep going.

“But long-term, us humans are social, we need to interact," he said. "So we’re continuing to do what we do,” including doing plenty of homework, such as speaking to other fitness businesses, business groups and elected officials. They're also keeping an eye on what’s happening in places such as Georgia and Texas, where gyms have been open for weeks.

“What we don’t know is the challenge. We do know is that we can operate by appointment. We can limit (the number of customers), we can social distance, we can clean, we can sanitize, not let people use other people’s equipment," Drab said. "I want to create an environment that is safe for customers and staff. We have loyal and supportive customers. Now, I’m just waiting on my state.”

Businesses and nonprofits planning to reopen during phase one are required to demonstrate compliance of state rules and regulations by self-certifying online.

The process takes just a few minutes, and a downloadable badge and poster are sent upon completion.

“This is an opportunity to help build trust among employees, customers, and the public, and show how businesses are working hard to open safely and efficiently,” the state says. “Self-certification is mandatory and must be completed before reopening.”