Garrettsville – If necessity is the mother of invention, then we’re entering into an accelerated Age of Innovation. As local storefronts and services reopen to the public amidst an ongoing pandemic, they are devising new ways to keep employees and patrons safe while getting back to business.
While state and federal officials provide specific reopening protocols for salons, barbershops, restaurants and medical offices, many remaining retail businesses and service entities must work out their own approach as they emerge from lockdown.
Each reopening is customized to best suit clientele’s interests and each business’s ability to operate within a wide array of medical, financial and practical unknowns. As Jonathan Harris, Director of Portage County District Library (PCDL) put it, “It’s not every day that you get to reinvent library services for the community.”
GARRETTSVILLE LIBRARY
Speaking of the library, June 1 marked its first day of “contactless curbside pickup” in Stage II in its phased approach to PCDL’s return-to-service plan. Two weeks prior, it had instituted Stage I, consisting of restocking Library Express pickup lockers with books in Mantua and Hiram.
During this Stage II phase, patrons can call ahead at 330-527-4378 or place holds online (portagelibrary.org) to reserve books, DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, etc. Staff members are back at work full-time and can answer questions, provide recommendations and otherwise provide reader advisory services by phone according to previous hours of operation (10am-8pm M-W, 10am-6pm F, 9am-5pm Sat).
Reserved library items will be placed in a paper bag labeled with the patron’s name and can be picked up from a table in the front lobby for a period of three weeks (extended from the usual two-week borrowing period).
Anyone who has been holding onto borrowed library materials since the statewide shutdown should feel free to return these items to the library. No late fees will be charged, Harris said. At this point, all returned items are being placed in isolation for 72 hours, according to CDC guidelines. No further sanitation steps are being taken at this time but could change, pending evolving recommendations.
Meanwhile, no programming has been scheduled at the local library and there is no target date set yet for Stage III, when doors will reopen for people to browse the shelves, share computer usage or otherwise interact inside the library building. When these services resume, Harris said that new health protocols will be in place, including protective barriers, one-way aisles of foot traffic, face masks and hand sanitizer.
While workers are required to wear face masks, guidelines for patrons are still under discussion by library administration, Harris indicated. According to his point of view, based on best practices for public health, “Patrons can pick up holds without wearing a mask but if they want to enter the library and interact in shared spaces, they should wear a mask.”
VILLAGE BOOKSTORE
Heading to Main Street, Ellen Eckhouse’s Village Bookstore is also partially reopened. While her doors are closed to casual browsing throughout the used bookstore, Eckhouse is in the shop every day but Monday, providing takeout/delivery services.
Similar to the library service plan, customers can call 330-527-3010 or send a private message through the Village Bookstore Facebook page or website to pre-order a book. This mode of operation has been in place since April.
“I would love to throw open my doors now and welcome people in to shop the shelves, but this may not be the right time for us and our customers to be safe under those conditions,” Eckhouse said. “Since I can’t spray my books with Lysol without damaging them, I am willing to work hard to streamline options for customers with takeout, delivery, recommendations, Zoom book club meetings and maybe even private shopping by appointment.”
She also is offering $1 books and book genre mystery bags out on a bench in front of the store. Until there are clear procedural guidelines or a vaccine in place, Eckhouse says the bookstore will continue to improvise and operate as safely as possible.
CHARLES AUTO
After closing down the car dealership for the entire month of April and providing just emergency service and appointment-only sales, Bruce Abraham partially reopened Charles Auto Family on May 4. After using the shutdown period to regroup and determine best practices going forward, all staff members came back to work full-time as of June 2. Business has been so brisk, Abraham says he may be hiring additional talent soon.
One month after reopening, Abraham reported, ”We’ve had one of our better months for a long, long time; due to pent-up demand and a great staff working real hard to follow all the sanitation and social distancing guidelines and updating our online options. Our disinfecting and social distancing protocols make people more comfortable doing business with us. We disinfect every car before and after service and test drives. We disinfect door handles and bathrooms regularly throughout the day. Most of us don’t like wearing masks but we can put up with it to keep everyone safe.”
Recognizing that ‘the new normal’ is a moving target, Abraham said that he and his staff had to construct a way forward during this ongoing pandemic. “In order to be successful, I need to respond to my customers and their needs. People are afraid of the unknown so we’re doing our best to provide a safe pathway through it. Today’s environment dictates what’s right.”
Villager Emporium
Located on the corner of Main Street and SR 88, the Villager Emporium reopened in May with adjusted shopping hours (Tues, Weds, Fri & Sat 10 – 3) that will continue through the summer. Michelle Zivoder, owner of the store said that during the mandatory shutdown a lot of time was spent cleaning, painting and re-staging her shop. CDC Guidelines are being followed, the store is heavily sanitized each evening and throughout the day, masks are required to be worn by our customers. “We have a high-risk family member, so we are taking this very seriously, but we also realize that we have to make a living and need to get back to business”, stated Zivoder. In addition to the store being open, their on-line presence at villageremporium.com is being updated and items can be arranged for pick-up at the door. “As many of the other businesses are doing, we are adapting daily and look forward to seeing our customers”.
These are just a few examples of how Garrettsville’s business/service sector is re-emerging from the COVID-19 shutdown that paralyzed life as we knew it earlier this Spring. As we approach summertime, we’re enjoying the return of Garrettsville Farmers’ Market at the Old Buckeye Block downtown every Thursday afternoon, June 4 through August 27. As additional re-openings roll out in the village, be sure to support your local business owners and neighbors as they innovate ways forward through these trying times.
