Success And Caution Are Part Of Reopening Iowa

The open flag went up at the Muse Music Store on Friday, as they reopened to business after being closed by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. (submitted photo)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – With Governor Reynolds’s proclamation, 77 counties in Iowa were able to begin the process of opening the state up for business once again.

That first day brought optimism and caution as businesses learned what it would take to open their doors to customers, and for customers to begin the process of going back to Main Street, the local restaurant or pub.

One of those businesses was Muse Music Store, located just off the square in Oskaloosa along South Market.

Ashley Schultz owns the Muse Music Store, and she was awaiting the opportunity to open her business to the public once again since being closed down last month by the government.

Schultz says, “It was amazing. There were customers waiting outside before I even got there!!! The support was overwhelming!”

“It was the perfect day, May Day! We gave away baskets with Muse merch and had live music,” explained Schultz, who said her business had a big day for sales.

Inside of Penn Central Mall, which opened back up on May 1st as well, sits the sandwich shop WanderLunch.

It’s owner, Heather Nelson, was celebrating her first year in business at that location, and the first day she was able to welcome customers at her lunch counter for carry-out since the mall was closed last month.

“Reaching that one-year milestone at the mall feels pretty surreal and amazing, says Nelson. “Sometimes, I wake up and have to pinch myself – that I own this business, and I get to make and serve food for a living!”

“It’s been a roller-coaster, though, no doubt, “Nelson added. “We’ve had ups and downs, there have been sleepless nights, but there’s mostly been laughter and smiles and satisfaction. We’ve learned a lot, and that makes me feel awesome – that we’re always learning and growing.”

Places like Smokey Row in Oskaloosa welcomed back customers to the seating area, after being carry-out only since government orders closed down dining rooms.

On the industry going forward, Nelson shares her thoughts about the future. “I’m not sure we’ll ever really go back to normal, you know? It certainly was wonderful to see everyone’s faces and be able to shout out ‘hellos’ and ‘thank yous.’ However, COVID-19 and the quarantine has changed our landscape. All of us will be doing things differently from now on, I suspect. What that actually looks like for us, I’m not sure, but I’m positive we will continue modifying our practices to best serve our customers.

Nelson added that it was a successful day for her on Friday. “It’s been awhile since we’ve slung out over a hundred sandwiches. To be honest, I didn’t expect these kinds of numbers, and so I did not prepare my inventory as well as I should have. I am incredibly grateful to all those folks near the end of the day who ordered a sandwich, even if it wasn’t actually what they wanted! I’m able to employ some pretty amazing employees. I have great neighbors and customers, and a supportive family who lets me do what I love. So, yeah, I’d say it was a successful day!”

Other area restaurants remained closed or continued with their curbside service. They expressed concerns about being able to protect their customers and their employees. Most expressed wishes to open when they can address those concerns effectively.

Wood Iron Grille, the winner of Iowa’s Best Burger, posted to their Facebook page, “The state has issued several new mandates that we will need to adhere to in order to ensure both your safety as well as the safety of our staff. We will be starting the process of rearranging our dining room, recalling and retraining staff, doing a deep cleaning of the restaurant, and creating a new limited menu that we can comfortably serve with reduced capacity and staff.”

Some churches made the decision to continue with live streaming; others are holding service in their building with social distancing guidelines posted and encouraged.

The Coffee Cup Cafe in Sully remains closed to dine in customers, but continues serving customers with carry-out.

Just a half-hour north of Oskaloosa, life with shuttered businesses continues. The coffee shop on the square didn’t have the rattle of dirty dishes being hustled to the back, and the voices of customers chatting were still silent.

In Montezuma, only essential stores remained open yet on the town square. The hardware store and the grocery store continued serving customers.

It’s unknown yet if the decision to reopen 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties will bring about an uptick in the virus, but Reynolds said at her press conference on April 27th, “The reality is, we can’t stop the virus. It will remain in our communities until a vaccine is available. Instead, we must learn to live with COVID virus activity without letting it govern our lives.”

Iowa has set up a website to help answer many COVID-19 questions, and provide resources to track the virus in the State of Iowa. – https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/