La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Caravan Gallery: One merchant’s view

By Linda Banaszak

My business has been open seven days a week since June 2. I am very grateful for our customer base, who have supported The Caravan over all these years.

Many factors have changed the way we do business. In the Gallery we refer to the factors as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and ... the Hopeful.

Good. We are open and people are coming to town to support us! We are digging deep into our roots of operations and reevaluating how we conduct business, cutting costs here and there and exploring new avenues to better ourselves.

Bad. Many businesses in town had not reopened at the beginning of Phase Two and have been inconsistent with hours of operations. Not great for a tourist town, but totally understandable given the nature of things.

Not only are we having issues with staff not wanting to return to work due to the virus, but several business owners have commented on lack of staff returning due to the government stimulus [increased unemployment compensation – ed.].

Included in The Bad would be the now important role retailers have of keeping our staff and patrons safe. Monitoring customers on mask usage, sanitation and headcount in our businesses is a fulltime position. These new, required compliances for our staff, while absolutely necessary, are sometimes met with pushback and noncompliance by our visitors.

Ugly. By following the guidelines as directed by our local, state and federal governments, and adapting to the inconsistencies as necessary, we have encountered hostile and noncompliance by customers Their excuses range from nonbelievers in the virus to the medically challenged. Regardless of the reason, noncompliance puts all of us at risk and has made our businesses and associates a target for abuses. This is not an ideal, or usual, position for retailers.

Hopeful. Although election years are historically not great for business and the pandemic worldwide is devastating, we have great hope that time will restore health, and this election will bring balance to this unstable climate and reinvigorate trust and pride in our governments and peace and healing to all that have been devastatingly affected.

Banaszak owns Caravan Gallery at 619 South First Street.

Merchants on Morris and First Streets are hopeful the July 4th weekend will be a shot in the arm for sales even without fireworks lighting the night sky. Asking about business possibilities this weekend brought these replies:

On First Street, Two Moons Gallery’s Alan Darcy hopes business picks up. He expects good weather will bring people who want to get out to “come to our friendly little town … and enjoy themselves.” He encourages “partying hearty, but smarty” and wants everyone to wear masks and practice social distancing, for their neighbors’ sake.

For Ramon Hayes at Trumpeter Gallery down the block, “business has been exceedingly strong the past couple of weekends and I trust that this pattern will continue over the summer. Additionally, 99.9 percent of everyone who has come into my store has been masked. The other 0.01 percent I either handed a mask or they kept on going.”

Janna Gage, Seaport Books co-owner, reports the store “has been doing well since we reopened on June 5. We have regular hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., six days a week, closed on Tuesday. Those will be our hours over the 4th of July weekend as well. While Skagit County is in Phase 2, we adhere to all of the requirements. Four people at a time in our store, masks and hand sanitizer required. We are always careful to sanitize each day at closing as well. It’s not a problem.”

She ends: “Our work over the past three years to establish a loyal customer base has paid dividends for us.”

On the food side, Nell Thorn’s Ted Furst is “expecting to be busy and pretty well booked out – we’ll be doing brunch as usual on both Saturday and Sunday, starting at 11 a.m.” Furst is starting his second year as majority owner of the restaurant. He noted “Casey and Susan used to close on the 4th, and we’re planning to be open, so we don’t have any history there to rely on.”

On Morris Street, Patrick Ball, of The Slider Café, writes “It is really hard to predict what type of weekend July 4th will bring as many events have been understandably cancelled. It is hard to say if people will be out as usual in years past or plan a more stay at home BBQ. That being said, with the outpouring of support of your readers and the Town of La Conner, I do expect it to be a good weekend.”

Heather Carter, director of the La Conner Chamber of Commerce, noted that Skagit County’s Phase 2 status of the state’s Safe Start plan means there are not any official 4th of July events happening in La Conner, “We welcome visitors to enjoy our town, shopping and dining! Of course, practice social distancing and wearing masks,” she wrote. “The annual celebrations will be missed – I love the annual parade, fun family games, live music and fireworks.”

Hayes, the Town’s mayor agreed. “The most important thing is to take this whole process steadily and not jump the gun. One just needs to read the papers to see what happens when states open up too soon.” He provided this summary:

“For those of us who were completely closed for three months, we are just grateful to be able to be open and do it in a responsible way. Although the Town is not enforcement, and to date we have not taken a single COVID related enforcement action against any citizen or business, I personally have zero sympathy for any business or individual who does not want to mask up when in a store environment. If masks ensure that I can operate my business and make a living for my family in the short term while we get through the pandemic period, then that’s what needs to happen.”

If there are fireworks, the night sky might well be lit into Sunday morning from Swinomish vendors exhausting their inventory.

Caravan Gallery owner Linda Banaszak reflects on “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Hopeful,” sidebar