Businesses adjust to new normal during yellow phase of reopening plan

DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. - Businesses are adjusting to a new normal during the yellow phase of  Governor Tom Wolf's reopening plan.

Open signs at Delaware County businesses are a welcome sight for many, but at one point, the owners of Wedgewood Gardens on Route 352 in Glen Mills feared this lot would never greet customers again.

“For the three months that you make your money, to not be able to make money, we definitely had to have conversations about the possibility of not being able to reopen,” said Mandi Ruch, whose family owns Wedgewood Gardens.

Ruch says they have to be creative, more creative that delivery. So they bought plants and gardening supplies to their home in West Chester and spread the word on social media.

“We would really, really be struggling. There were so many people who said thank you so much for doing this. You brightened my day, that kind of stuff so it was really great."

RELATED: Philadelphia, suburban counties move to yellow phase of reopening plan

But across the county, some of the closures that were once thought to be temporary with signs promising to “be back soon” might not get that chance.

Duffer’s Pub sign on Baltimore Pike sits next to a promising area for outdoor dining, which is now allowed in Governor Tom Wolf’s yellow phase. But in their 25th year, the owners say it isn’t enough business for them to renew their lease and re-open at all.

“It was a very, very hard decision, my father struggled with it for quite some time now,” explained Michael Slachta, whose father owns Duffer’s Pub.“We lost a building, but at the end of the day, we lost a family and that was the hardest thing,” added Tim Clark, the general manager of the pub.

With only five customers allowed per 1,000 square feet in retail stores, reopening looks different for each of the shops in the Shoppes at Briton Lake shopping center. Some of the signs say they will only allow 12 inside at a time while some say they are still closed or only available for curbside pick-ups and appointment only.“It’s sad to see some of them still closed, but hopefully soon,” said Gina Buoni, a resident of Concordville, Pa.

Fortunately, Duffers says their tavern on 352 did manage to stay afloat with takeout and outdoor dining will be starting soon. It’s a bright spot for other businesses in the daily uncertainty, struggling to figure out what’s next.

“When it is normal, who knows, but I made a promise to my family that we’re going to make the best of it and stay positive and happy. That’s what we need everyone else to do,” said Clark.

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