Shops begin reopening along Highland Park parade route following shooting
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Highland Park community is forever changed, but it is slowly moving toward a return to normal.
The street where a gunman opened fire on parade goers seven days ago is now reopened, and some of the shops are welcoming people inside once again.
Sunday afternoon, neighbors sat on benches along the parade route and walked hand in hand down the street.
"HP Strong" was written on storefronts and street corners.
New York Slice opened its doors around 3 p.m. Sunday.
Businesses were allowed back into their spaces on Saturday, and were allowed to start reopening at 6:30 Sunday morning.
The staff at New York Slice said it was busier than they expected it to be. People even tried to get into the shop to buy a slice before the store had reopened.
After days of sitting at home they told CBS 2 they are thrilled to feel some type of normal again and to play a small role in helping the community feel that way too.
Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage brought a group of firefighters back to the city's downtown on Monday to start their own healing process, as they grapple to process what they saw. Many of them were the first on the scene after the mass shooting.
Meantime, Highland Park residents added their own personal touches to the healing process, one of them adding ribbons to park benches with the message "Highland Park Strong."
Shepherd Roberts was among the customers returning to Walker Bros. Original Pancake House in Highland Park on Monday morning.
"We're probably going to visit a lot of other businesses in the area, because they've all lost money in the last week. I mean, this is another casualty of what happened," he said.
Real estate agent Sam Lubeck said, "We're here, we're not gonna just magically crawl in a hole and stop living our lives."
"We're gonna celebrate the people that lost their lives, and we're gonna celebrate the community, and our outpouring, and when it comes to it we're all really proud of our community," Lubeck added.
Several shops, including Baird & Warner Highland Park, where Lubeck works, are planning emergency team meetings.
Therapy dogs also have been brought in to downtown Highland Park, in an effort to help people check in with each other.