Tent Business Switches From Weddings To Coronavirus Testing

GLEN BURNIE, MD — As the pandemic has progressed, one business owner has seen her clientele shift. The tents she had been used to pitching for parties are now sent out to coronavirus testing sites across the state.

"It's completely changed our business," Lauri Dixon, general manager of Party Plus Tents + Events, told Patch. "We offer everything from tents to teacups — for graduations, weddings, you name it. Once the pandemic hit, we kind of stopped dead in our tracks."

For the past couple of months, Party Plus Tents + Events has been setting up coronavirus testing tents — both walk-up and drive-thru — at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Anne Arundel Medical Center, Howard County General Hospital and out of state.

It started after a friend in the industry provided a referral.

"One hospital led to the next," Dixon said. The Glen Burnie business outfitted the tents according to each site's specifications and has provided roll-away beds and rolling tables.

"We're continuing to get more calls for testing tents because this is spinning a little longer than people had hoped," Dixon said.

When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, she said, some couples moved their wedding dates. Others are altering plans due to the prohibition on large gatherings.

"We did our first social distance wedding this past Saturday," Dixon told Patch Tuesday.

The couple had people drive by a home in Montgomery County, where the front and side yard had been decorated, as they celebrated their union.

"They said it was lovely," Dixon said.

"Fortunately, knock on wood, we haven’t had anybody cancel," Dixon said of her wedding clients. "Some have moved two times — some moved to June and then moved to next year. We’re just letting their deposits move with them. It's nobody's fault, and we want to be able to still work with them."

Now that some jurisdictions are reopening, Party Plus Tents + Events has taken steps to change the way it does business, installing Plexiglas barriers at its location on Baymeadow Drive.

Dixon said her employees, who she could bring back for 30 hours a week thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program, "love" having an extra layer of safety in the workplace.

"The biggest thing is having your employees feeling safe to see the public," Dixon said.

"I think people would rather go back to work and feel good about that and then go home," Dixon said. "It’s important to engage. I feel much more connected when I come into the studio."

'We Can Slowly Reopen Maryland'

Starting May 15, Gov. Larry Hogan lifted the stay-at-home order statewide, leaving it up to each jurisdiction to determine how to proceed. In Anne Arundel County, where Party Plus Tents + Events is located, many businesses can reopen, while some restrictions remain in effect.

As the state prepares for stage one of the Maryland Strong Roadmap to Recovery, which allows retailers to open at 50 percent capacity, Party Plus Tents + Events has begun reaching out to other businesses to help equip them.

"We just started a week and a half ago doing Plexiglas barriers for safety and security," Dixon said by phone Tuesday. "We're selling those at a very modest price point. We've started trying to get people to purchase those, so we can slowly reopen Maryland."

Her company can offer social distancing solutions, she said, as restaurants work to welcome back their customers in person.

"Restaurants now need more space, so I sent a proposal to someone today so that they can expand their seating," Dixon said.

The virus has "totally changed our day to day," Dixon said. "We thought maybe we can make this an opportunity and help people get back on their feet. The main thing for us as a small business has been trying to keep the lights on."

Party Plus Tents + Events is at 6759 Baymeadow Drive, Glen Burnie.

Related:

• MD Stay-At-Home Order Lifted; Some Jurisdictions To Reopen
• Guidelines To Reopen Anne Arundel County Take Effect Friday