Coronavirus News: Connecticut retail anxious to get back to business

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Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Connecticut retail anxious to get back to business

It was a quiet morning in Westport Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Lauren Glassberg reports there will be more people on the streets Wednesday when retail in Connecticut reopens.

WESTPORT, Connecticut (WABC) -- It was a quiet morning in Westport Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, but there will be more people on the streets Wednesday when retail in Connecticut reopens.

"We're very excited excited to see our customers," said Jenny Vogel, with the Winged Monkey Clothing Store. "Don't know how it's going to go."

Vogel is getting ready to reopen the clothing store her parents started 24 years ago. But now, there's a sneeze guard by the register, and even with 6,000 square feet of space, she'll cap customers at 10, well below the 50% capacity limit set by the state.

"Customers that we talk to all the time, they're really looking forward to getting out of the house, shopping, going into stores again," she said.

The ReOpen Westport Advisory Team met virtually Tuesday about the phase one reopening, which allows restaurants to offer outdoor dining.

Tennis is also fair game for singles play at some public courts.

"We're trying to make everything go as quickly as possible so we can go forward, so we don't have to go back," Westport Mayor Jim Marpe said.

Offices can also reopen in Connecticut Wednesday, though the state still encourages working from home as much as possible.

Barber shops and salons, however, will not reopen Wednesday as initially planned.

So many business are looking to start making money again, knowing they may never recoup losses.

"We do a huge prom, graduation, so obviously we lost a lot of that," Vogel said. "Hopefully, even though summer is usually our slowest time, this year maybe it will be a little busier since people haven't been shopping the last couple of months."

She's just hoping everyone needs a little retail therapy right now.