Big-Boxed In

C.F.

Times a-Changin' in the Capital

The church bells chimed at 10 a.m. on Monday in Montpelier, as if signaling that it was time for businesses to reopen.

But at State and Main streets, no one was listening. Or, perhaps, retail store owners were tuned to some inner voice and not government guidelines — issued the week before from just down the street — that said it’s OK to reopen with certain conditions.

At the state capital’s main intersection, a bank was closed, as were a bead store, a crafts store and a pizza place. An old bakery storefront remained vacant. A couple doors down Main Street, a children’s clothing store and a bookstore were also shuttered.
The morning bells were soon drowned out by rock n’ roll playing loudly from the Skinny Pancake, the only door open near the intersection of State and Main. Inside, kitchen manager Chris Morris was getting ready for Wednesday, when the crêperie will open for curbside pickup.

“I think it’s what’s best for you,” Morris said of the choices made by neighboring businesses. “Ultimately, you got to do what you think is right. I want everybody to feel safe and secure.”

Morris, who lives in Montpelier, said he was hopeful there would be “some semblance of normalcy” in the coming summer months.

“I like to go to shops and support them,” Morris said. “Just like they support us.”

A block or so down State Street, the Book Garden bookshop was open. Owner Brad Carey said he was going to “play it by ear this week” to see if customers are excited to shop or “still a little nervous to go out in public.” The store has a five-person customer limit and asks that customers, like employees, wear masks.

Claire Benedict, co-owner of Bear Pond Books, said by phone that she was considering opening for in-store business later this week. Bear Pond has offered online sales throughout the pandemic.

Many downtown shops had signs in the window promoting their online and curbside business and commitment to social distancing, along with optimistic messages such as “Distance = Hope” and “Love Lives Here.”
Xavier Jimenez, co-owner of Buch Spieler Records on Langdon Street,  stepped outside wearing a hoodie and a mask to respond to a reporter's knock. Buch Spieler is open for subscription service, as well as curbside purchases and local delivery.

Founded 48 years ago, Buch Spieler will open on Saturday for one customer at a time, Jimenez said. Each shopper must wear a mask and gloves (the latter will be available at the store) and will be allowed 30 minutes inside. There will be a 15-minute break between customers, Jimenez said.

“There’s so many different hearts and minds coming at you,” Jimenez said of the considerations about reopening. “We’re taking a close monitor of things.”

The album covers in the store window spoke volumes, even without a record spinning on the turntable: Prince’s 1999, whose title track is about partying into the apocalypse, and Men at Work's Business As Usual (though not these days). But no record could speak a greater truth than Bob Dylan’s third album, on display in the window: The Times They Are a-Changin’.

Bullseye

The main doors to the University Mall in South Burlington remained locked on Monday morning, and inside, the halls were dark.

The great retail reopening sweeping the state, it appeared, had skipped this suburban slice of Vermont. A few disappointed customers learned this the hard way when they tugged on the doors. They eventually gave up and walked back to their cars parked in the massive, nearly empty lot.

Not all hope was lost. At the adjacent Target store, the company’s white bullseye logo beckoned would-be shoppers. Since the start of the pandemic, the big-box store has been allowed to stay open and sell essential items such as groceries and cleaning supplies. The governor’s latest order allowed the store to offer up all of its inventory beginning Monday, with customer capacity limits in place.
Every employee wore a mask, and most customers did, too, encouraged by signs at the front of the store. The messages urged shoppers to stay home if they had any coronavirus symptoms. Staff sanitized baskets and shopping carts.

Around 10:30 a.m., a couple dozen customers flipped through racks of sundresses, browsed sporting goods and wandered the makeup aisles. It resembled any other morning in the store but for the posted signs declaring the fitting rooms closed and advising shoppers to stay six feet apart.

Todd Cornut, who wore a mask and stood near the door in a shirt that signaled he was Target security, said it was less busy than anticipated.

Emma Testone, a preschool teacher who graduated college a few years ago, had a throw pillow and a blanket tucked into her shopping cart. She said she had just moved into a new apartment in Burlington and was excited to shop for decor.

“It feels like I’m doing something I’m not supposed to,” she admitted. She’d been shopping online, including on the Target website, but “it just feels nice to be in the store,” she said.

Like Testone, Laurie Marshall and Fran Farina were more in the market for a feeling of normalcy than any particular Target ware. The two women picked out a red dress for Farina, who told a reporter that she’d been saving a lot of money since in-person shopping was prohibited two months ago.

She and Marshall don’t normally shop at Target. But Marshalls and T.J. Maxx remain closed, and the two wanted to spend a little time together, away from Facebook and “all the negativity” there, Marshall said. They each wore masks — not out of fear for themselves but as a sign of respect for the people and workers around them.

Marshall’s sister, Julie Bevins, appeared with two pairs of clearance jeans. She wasn’t sure whether they’d fit and couldn’t try them on without fitting rooms.

But Marshall knew of a trick. She draped the waistband of the jeans around Bevins’ neck, trying to get them to touch in the back.

“Those will fit!” Marshall declared.

Bevins didn’t seem fully convinced, but the jeans were only $7, anyway. Sold.

Farina, though, put the red dress back on the rack. Her retail therapy would have to wait.