Shoppers head to stores as county moves to yellow phase
Shoppers took advantage of the warm, sunny day and headed to Tanger Outlets. Some of the stores in the outlet opened their doors to customers, while a majority remained closed.
A shopper carries a shopping bag during a visit to Tanger Outlets in South Strabane Township. Tanger was among the businesses that reopened Friday as Washington County moved to the yellow phase from the red phase.
A Tanger Outlets employee sanitizes a bench Friday. Tanger assured customers it is taking safety precautions, including using CDC-approved cleaners throughout the outlet.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Shoppers eased their “cabin fever” Friday by visiting Tanger Outlets, which reopened as Washington County moved into the yellow phase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Observer-Reporter
Jeanie Lambert owns Sorelle Bridal Salon, 1855 W. Chestnut St., Washington.
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Bill and Charlotte Howard reopened in May for their end-of-business sale at Bill’s Furniture in Washington.
Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter
Bonnie Brand reopened her Monongahela shop, Uncommonly Beautiful, Friday to find people eager to be downtown.
Kenny and Helen Campbell drove nearly an hour from Shadyside, Ohio, to Tanger Outlets in South Strabane Township Friday on a mission.
“I’m looking for Skechers,” said Helen Campbell.
Stores closer to her home either were not open or did not have the style Campbell wanted, so the couple decided to make the trip to Tanger, which joined other businesses in Washington County that moved Friday from the red to the yellow phase of reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph Kurilko of Bentleyville and Laura Kurilko of Fredericktown arrived at the outlet when it opened at 11 a.m. “just to get out of the house.”
“We figured we’d come out and look around, see who’s got some deals, with this being in essence almost like a grand re-opening,” said Joseph Kurilko.
But some shoppers were disappointed to find only a handful of the 72 stores opened their doors to customers. Popular stores including Coach, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger remained closed.
Kim Rodman and Dana Cudnik drove 45 minutes from West Newton to shop, and said they weren’t happy, but would still take advantage of the warm, sunny day and head to Target.
Sandwich billboards posted at Tanger welcomed back shoppers and assured them safety was a priority, noting the company is cleaning and disinfecting frequently and regularly with CDC-approved products at all common areas, including restrooms, food locations, seating areas, tables, playgrounds, signage, digital screens, doors and handles.
Bass Co. employee Lisa Ianni said she feels “extremely comfortable” with the measures taken by Tanger and her store.
“Tanger is on top of it,” said Ianni, who said the outlets have communicated often and clearly with stores and employees. “And at Bass, our protocol is tight, tight, tight. We’re taking all necessary precautions.”
As shoppers strolled through the outlet, some wore masks while others did not.
Joseph Kurilko said he was not overly concerned about safety while shopping.
“I understand being cautious, but there’s cautious and there’s paranoid, and this is being paranoid,” he said.
Bonnie Brand reopened her women’s clothing and accessories shop Friday to find customers eager to be back in downtown Monongahela. There was a steady stream of vehicle traffic on West Main Street outside of her store, Uncommonly Beautiful.
“It feels wonderful to be back,” Brand said, while wearing a face mask to protect her from COVID-19.
She said she is concerned about catching the virus and has taken all of the related safety measures in her shop, including installing a Plexiglass shield at her counter.
Brand said reopening her store gives her a feeling of “self worth” after having been confined to her home during the stay-home order.
Terry Necciai, who manages the Main Street Program in this small Mon Valley city, said Monongahela may be somewhat “recession proof” because many of its more than 150 businesses are owner operated.
“We should be back to normal,” Necciai said.
He said weathering the COVID-19 pandemic might result in people seeing the downtown as an experience rather than a necessity.
Although no citations had been filed against alleged violators in Washington County, District Attorney Gene Vittone in a letter used as a model Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo’s protocol that her office evaluate any proposed violation before charges would be filed.
At Vittone’s request, President Judge Katherine B. Emery prepared an order Friday assigning District Judge Jesse Pettit to handle any alleged violations of orders by Gov. Tom Wolf or the state Department of Health.
“I am not advocating that businesses reopen,” Vittone wrote. “I am simply letting people know that my office will not be involved in the prosecution of any alleged violations… unless extraordinary circumstances endangering individuals are present.”
Meanwhile, in West Washington, Bill and Charlotte Howard were in the midst of a going-out-of-business sale at Bill’s Furniture, at the rear of 810 Broad St., with the end in sight by April when the pandemic hit in mid-March.
“We would have been out of business if it weren’t for this virus,” Bill Howard said. We were within a month of retiring.” Instead, “We stayed home. We did a lot of painting.”
“I got a taste of what retirement is like,” said his wife, Charlotte.
The store, which features almost as much Duncan Miller glassware as a museum, on Friday reopened, ironically, to again begin to close up shop after 61 years.
Bill Howard said the three to four weeks they figured it would take to reduce their inventory if March had been normal might stretch into two or three months.
“Nobody knows how much money’s going to be out there, what’s going on,” he said as the store mascot, a dog named Benji, napped behind the counter.
Further down Route 40, another facet of the reopening story unfolded.
As if brides-to-be don’t have enough jitters, the novel coronavirus crashing occasions added an unforeseen worry to weddings.
Jeanie Lambert, owner of Sorelle Bridal Salon, 1855 W. Chestnut St., filled orders during the pandemic by working from home and having dresses shipped there.
A dozen or so brides who needed maids’ gowns and mothers’ dresses were able to borrow dresses to try on in their own homes. Lambert offered assistance with measuring via FaceTime.
The store opened Friday morning by appointment only, and customers are to send a text message from the parking lot when they arrive so there won’t be crowds in the foyer, which now features a table with hand sanitizer, a jar of wipes and copies of a disclaimer to sign.
The goal is to minimize contact while striving to maintain a special experience.
There are five separate areas for customers, down from the previous 14. The staff is steam-treating sample gowns after they’ve been tried on.
The store was handling 10 appointments Friday with more than double that number today.
“The biggest surprise of this pandemic was that every single person I talked to had a new perspective,” Lambert said.
“It’s not about the big, lavish wedding. It’s about the love, and they wanted to celebrate their love whenever it was safe for everybody to do so. There was none of the outrage and terror that I anticipated. Everyone was calm and cool and said, ‘We’ll do what we can. It was amazing.'”
Staff writers Scott Beveridge and Barbara S. Miller contributed to this story.