News

South End businesses and Phase 2 of reopening

by Michele D.  Maniscalco
Friday Jun 19, 2020

This article is from the June 18, 2020 issue of South End News.


As Spring's gentle renewal gives way to summer's heat, the South End business community is also heating up and some warm-weather pleasures are returning with a "new normal" as the COVID-19 shutdown enters Phase 2 of reopening. Restaurateurs and other business owners are tapping their creativity to welcome customers back with both safety and panache.
Restaurants and stores are reducing occupancy and instituting new hygiene requirements as well as installing protective barriers and 6-foot markers on floors to enforce social distancing. Even with these new limits, South End shoppers and diners seem to be flocking back to their favorite haunts.
While South Enders have been able to frequent many of their favorite dining establishments via take-out and delivery during the shutdown, many have sorely missed the experience of breaking bread with friends at local restaurants and cafés. When Phase 2 began on Monday, June 8, diners rebounded to outdoor dining tables with new spacing and other protective measures. Under the Phase 2 rules Governor Baker announced on June 6, restaurant dining is outdoors only, with tables at least 6 feet apart or separated by barriers.
In response to the guidelines, Petit Robert Bistro, 480 Columbus Avenue, augmented its al fresco seating with a temporary patio extension in the parking lane in front of the restaurant, a series of planters creating a decorative barrier to the traffic lanes. Anoush'ella, 35 W. Newton Street, has also taken a stylish approach to safe dining with black, wrought-iron style backings to the plexiglass separators between outdoor tables.
Some South End eateries are not as well-situated for outdoor dining and are contemplating their next steps to re-opening strategically. Café Quattro, 817 Harrison Avenue, has survived the shutdown with ongoing take-out and delivery service as well as retail sales of Italian grocery imports and baking staples.
With respect to expanding service, chef/owner Evan Butland said, "I haven't yet decided how I will proceed with allowing customers back inside. I'm taking it very slow to see how things progress. So far, it seems customers are comfortable picking up at the window, and I am confident they are easily able to socially distance outside, rather than our confined space inside."
While Butland has not ruled it out, outdoor seating is a trickier option for Café Quattro. He explained, "I'm also on the fence for outdoor dining amid safety concerns. It will be very difficult to police any outdoor seating for both me and my staff while we are in the midst of trying to serve customers in a safe way."
Local retailers are also returning to provide safe, on-site shopping. According to Bradley St. Amand, director of operations for GTI Properties, the SoWa Open Market returned on Sunday, June 7 from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM as a farmer's market, with about 20 vendors as opposed to the usual 60 or so, with no food service or non-food vendors allowed under Phase 2 rules.
"It went really well," St. Amand said, adding that in addition to returning vendors, first-timers included fishmongers Wood Island Wild, ice cream makers Sisters of Anarchy, coffee bean vendors Native Columbian, and Uncommonly Good bakery plied their wares. The market's COVID-19 guidelines are posted at https://www.sowaboston.com/sowa-farmers-market.
Apparel and gift store Flock, 274 Shawmut Avenue, faced a dilemma at the beginning of the shutdown in late March because it was in the process of creating a web site and was not immediately prepared to switch to on-line sales. Flock came on-line a few weeks into the shutdown and co-owner Dani McDonald reports that the store began on-line sales with shipping, delivery and curbside pickup as soon as COVID-19 regulations allowed.
On June 9, the store opened its doors with a limited schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM with a limit of 6 customers at a time. McDonald said that Flock now has a plexiglass divider at its wrap and offers masks, hand sanitizer and gloves for customers. McDonald said the store's biggest challenge is "Understanding customer behavior and needs. After 10 years, I was in a great place in terms of how I buy products for the shop and I could anticipate what future seasons would look like. This seems much more challenging now more than ever. For example, I used to focus on buying dresses for wedding guests, baby showers, graduations, engagements, etc. but I'm not sure what that looks like in the Fall or even next Spring for that matter. This presents a challenge for me, as buying for apparel usually happens 4-6 months in advance."
McDonald said Flock's comeback was strong: "We had a great first week open. Friendly faces who wanted to come back and support us which was really great. We've also had some new customers which is great to see as well."
Empire Loan, 1130 Washington Street, remained open for loan payments, item redemption and new loans through the shutdown due to its status as a financial institution, but was able to resume retail sales only when Phase 2 began on June 8. Michael Goldstein, owner of the 8-store Empire Loan chain which has shops in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, observed that when retail sales, which comprise about 51 per cent of the store's revenue, returned, "There was a lot of pent-up demand for jewelry. In the first week, sales were on pace with what we normally sell in December." G
oldstein reported that the South End store has made COVID-19 compliant modifications, and there will be plexiglass sneeze guards at each of its showcases by Thursday, June 18. At Maison de Mer, 23 Dartmouth Street, co-owner Bill Lagorio has not yet reopened his South End store, but he and his business partner have sold much of the existing inventory on-line. Lagorio is considering a mid-July reopening for the 140 square foot South End store pending continued decline of COVID-19 cases, and sees the eventual reopening as an opportunity for renewal.
Maison de Mer's glass front door was shattered earlier this year, and the glass was replaced on Monday, June 15. Before reopening, Lagorio plans to refresh the space as well as the inventory. Lagorio said, "The problem is, the store is so small, you have to limit it to one person at a time. [The extra time] will also give us a chance to spruce up the store. We moved everything out of that store, and we've been selling it through Marblehead. Everything we bring in will be brand new. It will be like a grand reopening. It's giving us a chance to look at opening with a fresh start."