Puyallup downtown businesses aren’t sure what reopening looks like, but they are in it together
Puyallup antique furniture story, Newell Hunt, has been closed for more than two months.
Delivery of more than 25 orders has been mothballed, staff is on paid time off and owner Arla Gustafson is left calling customers and attending Zoom meetings.
Gustafson and more than 50 other downtown Puyallup business owners have been meeting weekly to plan reopenings after Gov. Jay Inslee ordered non-essential businesses to close to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The entrepreneurs discuss coordinated hours, joint discounts, protocols for waiting customers and access to personal protective equipment.
“I don’t just want to pull my business up, but work with others,” Gustafson told The Herald.
Reopening businesses is full of uncertainty, but having an open dialogue among owners has been helpful, said Kerry Yanasak, Puyallup’s Main Street Association executive director.
“We are all more vulnerable about how we are doing, but no one is really doing well,” Yanasak said. “There is more discussion and more reaching out for some help because everyone is the same situation.”
The organization has been hosting the Zoom meetings, finding masks and hand sanitizer and helping businesses with signs.
If one business finds masks, the owner will let others know about it, said Meredith Neal, Puyallup’s economic development manager.
Yanasak said the association is a conduit for getting the word out, making sure businesses aren’t forgotten.
If the first Puyallup Farmers Market was any indication of public desire to shop, Yanasak said he is hopeful. That event occurred May 9 at the South Hill Mall parking lot.
“It was very successful, and a lot of vendors sold out,” he said. “People are itching to do something.”
Many local businesses are frustrated that bigger corporate stores, like Home Depot, are open, Yanasak said.
“It’s unfair, but I understand,” he said. “I hope that people can buy a meal to show support for downtown because we all want them to be successful. The image that comes to mind when people think of Puyallup is the downtown core. Whether people realize it or not, this defines their community.”
City help
The City of Puyallup also has been helping the downtown core.
It has relaxed restrictions on signage and given more than 60 safety cones to downtown businesses that are offering curbside pickup, Neal said.
Puyallup also is considering allowing restaurants to have more outdoor seating when Inslee declares it safe. Neal said the downtown eateries have a small footprint and could seat only two or three tables inside to follow social distancing requirements. The city could allow restaurants to spread out onto sidewalks for more seating.
“It wouldn’t make sense for them to stay open if they were losing money,” she said.
Retail businesses have talked with the city about the shopping experience. If shopping feels sterile, people won’t want to go, Neal said. Dots on the floor to encourage the six-foot distancing and a designated path through the store could help.
Even if the businesses follow safety protocol and take measures to cater to customers, consumer confidence is the hardest part to predict, Neal said. There still could be enough concern over the virus that consumers choose not to visit businesses as they reopen.
“It’s going to take a coordinated effort to rebuild some of that customer trust,” she said. “We’re trying to respond so rapidly, and throwing ideas as the wall to see what sticks.”
The city is expected to receive $1.2 million from the federal CARES Act. Neal hopes some of the funding will be used to help relieve downtown businesses.
A productive ‘pause’
Some Puyallup businesses have tried to see the positive during the coronavirus pandemic.
At least three downtown restaurants have taken the governor’s orders to close as a chance to renovate. The Rose Restaurant, Charlie’s Restaurant and Lounge, and Scotty’s Grub and Pub are redoing their interiors while customers aren’t inside, Yanasak said.
Gustafson has used the time to organize files, clean furniture and catch up with other businesses. Her furniture store and a catering company, Savory and Sweet, have partnered for lunch discounts. Those ordering food will receive a coupon courtesy of Newell Hunt Furniture but have to visit the antique store to get it verified.
The business owner hopes to spread her optimism with employees. She is having conversations with staff about reframing discussions when customers can shop again.
“We have to reframe the mindset, that we want to hear about what awesome thing you got to do during the pause,” Gustafson said. “We want to move past it.”
