Pennsylvania Business Owners See Light At End Of Tunnel With COVID Restrictions Set To Be Lifted On May 31
ARDMORE, Pa. (CBS) -- It's been a very tough year for business owners. But now some say they finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Being able to physically welcome customers is a big deal, but mentally, it's a milestone that a business was able to survive.
The date was ominous.
"Friday, March 13, a day hard to forget," Carrie Cohs said.
That's when Cohs' Ardmore store, Puccimanuli, closed for COVID. Luckily, she was able to immediately enhance her website to allow for virtual shopping, shipping, and curbside pickup.
"It was a great way to pivot very quickly and be able to turn on a dime as a small business so which is what small businesses are pretty good at doing," Cohs said.
At Jack McShea's Pub just down the road, Sean Campbell is "just kind of hanging out waiting for something to happen, missing making money."
Well, something has happened. He learned that Gov. Tom Wolf will lift the remaining COVID-19 restrictions, such as capacity limits on indoor dining, effective 12:01 a.m. on May 31.
"Like right as the clock strikes," Campbell said.
That's when Campbell wants the full capacity bar scene to return.
"People I haven't seen in forever and making money again and having fun. Just feeling a little bit normal," Campbell said.
"I am very excited for the state," Ardmore resident Justin Skipworth said.
Skipworth is glad to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
"I didn't think it was going to happen anytime soon but now that the vaccine is out everything is picking up the pace," he said.
Back at Puccimanuli, they don't plan on returning to their pre-COVID ways once restrictions are lifted. It turns out diversifying sales between in-person, pickup, and through the website has paid off.
"We started shipping out of here all over the country and it worked," Cohs said. "We've managed to sort of hit all of the customer touchpoints that they want us to be at so I don't think that's going to change."
Individual municipalities and school districts will have the authority to impose their own restrictions as they see fit.