Annapolis mayor bucks county guidelines and will allow limited customers per store, business owners prepare for reopening

The city of Annapolis will allow limited customers to shop in retail stores at a time, Mayor Gavin Buckley said in an online meeting with downtown Annapolis business owners Friday, a deviation from County Executive Steuart Pittman’s order that retail businesses can reopen for curbside pickup/delivery only.

Buckley is in lockstep with most of the county’s ordinances but is paving his own way when it comes to retail. The mayor granted permission for stores to allow one customer to enter a store to shop, pay or pickup an order while giving owners wiggle room to decide if multiple customers can come inside.

“I’m sure a couple might go in together. There’s not going to be a real policing of that unless it becomes out of hand,” Buckley said. “We’re just trying to give you guidance.”

Through a county official, County Executive Steuart Pittman declined to comment on Buckley’s decision to let customers into retail stores.

Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, county health officer, did not return an immediate request for comment.

The decision comes as city and county businesses evaluate plans to reopen following Gov. Larry Hogan’s Wednesday announcement that retail stores, hair salons, barbershops and manufacturing businesses were given permission to open to fewer patrons starting at 5 p.m. Friday.

Pittman took a more limited approach to ease certain restrictions approved by Hogan based on health data demonstrating the county isn’t ready to open more broadly. Retail stores are allowed to reopen but only for curbside pickup. Hair salons and barbershops can only have one customer at a time.

“Retail is an experience that takes place in businesses. That is an unrealistic stipulation that retail can do curbside. It’s a misguided resolution,” said Zia Boccaccio, owner of Alpaca International on Main Street.

Boccaccio joined 100 other business owners on a Zoom call Friday with the mayor, the city’s small business recovery task force and other business leaders to discuss what reopening parts of the city’s economy would look like. Buckley encouraged store owners to place clothing racks and tables outside their stores to attract customers walking around town.

Although Buckley and other business owners were hopeful about the city’s ability to slowly reopen, the mayor emphasized that social distancing and other safety precautions must be followed to prevent another spike in coronavirus cases and avoid another economic shutdown.

“We know we have to get back to business and we have to get our economy moving once again. But make no mistake, if we move too fast, people will die,” Buckley said.

The economic shutdown in the wake of coronavirus has devastated all facets of the economy. Boccaccio, a small business owner, has been steadily growing her boutique Alpaca wool clothing line for 17 years. She finally gained a foothold in the market and had recently expanded her brand to locations in Utah and Alaska and shops on cruise lines. Then coronavirus swept the country.

“From one day to the other, it’s like everything has been erased,” Boccaccio said. “It’s hard but I’m hopeful. We’re going to work like hell to survive.”

Many business owners permitted to reopen Friday say they were caught off guard by Hogan’s announcement. Some stores took the shutdown as an opportunity to remodel, others need more time to buy protective supplies. And for some, the restrictions won’t generate enough revenue to balance the overhead costs of reopening.

“After the announcement, the phone went crazy,” said Luc Fouquet, owner of Hudson Fouquet Salon.

Even though the demand for hair services is intense, the one-customer restriction makes reopening unfeasible for Fouquet, who employs 30 stylists at his two salons in Annapolis and Edgewater.

“It’s going to take time before we go back,” he said. “It can’t be announced today and open tomorrow.”

An integral key to jump-starting business in Annapolis and elsewhere in the state is creating confidence for the customer, business leaders said Friday. Store owners are buying Plexiglas screens for front desks and marking spots on the floor in 6-foot measurements. All customers must wear a mask while shopping, as mandated by the state.

Some retail owners plan on limiting how many items a customer can try on in-store, others are eliminating the dressing room entirely.

Boutique owners expect the customer’s shopping experience to become even more individualized. At Lilac Bijour, owner Fern Elliott will pick up items for customers who may not feel comfortable touching racks. This will help her keep an eye on what items need to be steamed and sanitized after.

Elliott is making 10% of her monthly sales through online orders. The boutique owner is ready to have a limited number of customers in her store and was initially disappointed by Pittman’s order to keep sales regulated to curbside pickup.

“I’m up for it. Of course, I am scared. I have my family; I have everyone to worry about, my customers, my employees, but unfortunately, I can’t keep going without opening,” Elliott said.

During the hour-long meeting, business leaders also discussed allowing patrons to carry to-go alcohol drinks around a roped off “recovery zone” lined with restaurants. The zone would include temperature checks, require masks, and stretch from the top of Main Street to Francis Street and down Dock Street and include the first block of West Street.

Socially distant activities like ping pong and bocce ball could also make an appearance in the designated zone. City agencies plan to heavily market Annapolis as a tourist destination for visitors who live within a day’s drive.