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As Longmont residents prepare to ease back into eating in restaurants and shopping in more local stores, they should also prepare for a much-altered local business landscape.
Many storefronts will be operating differently than they did before the coronavirus crisis and others have announced permanent closures.
That’s the case for the Longmont Humane Society’s Thrift Store on Ken Pratt Boulevard. The organization’s website indicates that it is closing and managers plan to host a going out of business sale once it is safe for them to reopen.
Though restaurants are allowed to reopen Wednesday with limited seating, Samples Restaurant on Main Street is closing permanently after a five-year run. The owners have sold the building to the owners of Flavor of India, a move which they said has been in the works for some time.
Down the street from Samples, secondhand clothing store The Aloha Trading Company, which opened in 2019, also decided to close its storefront. According to owner Kim Pinkerton, who explained the decision in a video posted on their Facebook page, she was challenged by the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and concerned that continuing operations would put her family and customers at risk. Because The Aloha Trading’s Company’s lease was up for renewal, she felt that the best decision was to close the physical location and continue the store’s operations online. Once concerns about the virus diminish, Pinkerton said she plans to find another retail storefront.
Longmont-based Nomadic Yogis is another business that has permanently closed its physical location. Once COVID-19 concerns arose, Owner George Zarnowski decided to transition to online-only classes and doesn’t anticipate returning to real-world sessions. He said he has retained most of his previous customers, added new students and even expanded his geographic reach to four continents.
Finding creative approaches appears to be where many of Longmont’s businesses are focused.
“Businesses that we are talking to seem to be in navigation mode. They’re trying to understand what guidelines they need to follow and what resources are available to them. They’re not making the hard decisions just yet,” said Kimberlee McKee of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority.
Three Longmont restaurants — The Roost, Jefe’s, and Smokin’ Bowls — are an example of a creative approach to business in the COVID-19 era. The restaurants’ owners are consolidating operations to serve customers out of the Jefe’s location. On a sign on the door at the Smokin’ Bowls, the owners said the change allowed the owners to focus on one storefront and avoid cannibalizing business among the three locations and their other restaurants. Once they’ve reviewed the guidance provided by state and local governments, they’ll decide how to proceed with the other storefronts.
