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'It was surreal' | Retail businesses adapt to new normal after stores reopen over the weekend

Jennifer Graf, a boutique owner in downtown Greensboro, said this weekend was slow, but she's happy to be back open.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Retail businesses are getting back into the swing of things after Gov. Roy Cooper's phase one plan gave them the OK to reopen this past weekend. 

Now, not only are they catching up on the latest health and safety precautions, but they're also trying to make up for lost sales, too. 

"It’s definitely nice to be open," said the owner of Vintage to Vogue Boutique Jennifer Graf, "However, it’s gonna be a long time until the small businesses can bounce back to being where they were before."

Graf's downtown Greensboro business reopened mid-day Saturday. She said business was slow, only making a few sales both Saturday and Sunday. 

"I definitely felt like a typical weekend, even on a Mother’s Day, would have had more foot traffic, especially with the beautiful weather we had this weekend," said Graf. 

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Grad said she thinks restaurants being closed for in-dining service plays some part in the lack of business. 

"I think that people are still taking precautions on going out and social distancing," said Graf, "A lot of people come downtown for restaurants and then wander the streets and with the restaurants still being closed, I think that a lot of retail is also going to be feeling that until they start to open up."

She said they reopened later Saturday to make sure they had enough masks, gloves, and sanitizer on hand before customers came into the store. 

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"We gave the customers the option to wear a mask or gloves or sanitize," said Graf. 

Anna Cross owns Bibs and Kids Boutique on Battleground Avenue. Saturday was the first day the "temporary closure" sign hanging on the door could come down in a month.

"It was really exciting to take that down. It almost felt, very different, but also the same as when we first opened," said Cross, "The excitement of, you know, we’re going to unlock our doors, are people going to come? We are excited to see our customers again."

Cross reopened Saturday and said business was steady. 

Credit: Anna Cross

"We had people that were eager to get out. We had steady traffic but there were a lot of customers that we were still taking phone orders," said Cross. 

Cross said all of her employees are wearing masks and gloves, and they have some on hand for customers if they wish. 

She's hoping the customers will keep coming in and case numbers will start going down. 

"I was pleased with the steady traffic, and again today. Steady traffic throughout today we hope that continues and builds from here," she said. 

Not all retailers reopened this weekend. Lillo Bella Boutique on State Street said they continued curbside pickup, but kept the store closed because it wasn't busy. 

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