STAYING SAFE Carolin Walton-Brown welcomes a customer at Willow & Brown. Amy Hines photo
Manor shops reopen, but with restrictions
By Luca Larizzati | Manor Ink
Livingston Manor, NY – COVID-19 is still a large struggle for all people and everyday life, but as self-isolation eases and additional businesses are able to open their doors, it gets a little livelier. As we all know, the coronavirus shut down many businesses beginning in March. If a store was designated nonessential, it was totally off-limits for customers to purchase any goods or services, thus keeping people safe. But what about business owners?
INNOVATIVE PROTECTION Shop owner Lisa Lyons rings up a sale, using window frames as sneeze shields at Morgan Outdoors. Amy Hines photo
For shop owners like Lisa Lyons, owner of Morgan Outdoors on Main Street in the hamlet, the virus meant no source of income. “I was out of work and my store was out of work,” Lisa reported. Carolin Walton-Brown of Willow & Brown, also on Main Street, said, “I missed my customers. And, of course, being closed for 12 weeks presented a real financial challenge.”
With the most recent relaxation of restrictions under Phase 3, retail shops like Morgan Outdoors and Willow & Brown are now open, but with challenges. Shop owners have to pay attention to all the precautions required for the safety of their staff and customers. “In addition to a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of the entire shop before I re-opened, I now sanitize my hands and the counters between customers,” said Walton-Brown.
Morgan Outdoors can have up to six parties in at a time. Lyons cleans her store with a sanitizing solution and washes her hands before touching merchandise. Her shop now has wider aisles and requests that customers sanitize their hands just inside the front door. Lyons also hung antique windows at the checkout counter to provide a barrier between customers and herself. Shoe fittings can be done at a six foot distance.
Walton-Brown has positioned hand sanitizer in various places throughout the shop for customers. “I am following New York State guidelines for my shop,” she said. “Of course, I wear a mask at all times. “I am hopeful that lots of people will be in town this summer and that everyone in Livingston Manor will thrive.”
Masks required
Shops and restaurants in Livingston Manor have reopened under Phase 3 of Gov. Cuomo’s plan for returning to normal after containing the coronavirus, though with modifications to their usual business practices. Window service, face masks, distancing and limited access are a few of the precautions being taken. Above are some scenes around town as Manor returns to a semblance of normal, taken by Art Steinhauer.