BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH,
JESSICA PARKS &
ROBERT POZARYCKI
For New York businesses
making “a brand new start of
it in old New York” following
three months of COVID-19 restrictions,
the fi rst day of reopening
Monday served more
as preparation for the future.
Under Phase 1, retailers
can reopen their doors — but
they can’t welcome customers
inside their shops to browse.
Customers can pick their
items up at the stores in person
after placing an advanced
order online or by phone.
But many stores across the
city didn’t reopen Monday, and
many others only saw minimal
amounts of customers.
Retail stores on Fifth Avenue
in Park Slope reported
a slow start to business on
their fi rst day reopening —
but many are simply thankful
to have made it through to the
other side of the pandemic.
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“It is slow because I think
everyone is inside, so we are
waiting to see how it is going
to turn out,” said Ismaelie
Jean-Charles, manager of La
Belle Boutique. “But it’s good
to reopen again and to know
you are not one of the people
losing their business due to
the pandemic.”
To celebrate the fi rst week
of reopening, La Belle Boutique,
a Fifth Avenue clothing
shop between 10th and 11th
streets, is hosting a sale on all
of its merchandise which they
hope will help to attract more
customers.
“We have posted on Facebook
and Instagram to let
people know we are open,”
Charles said. “And then we
have the sale of 50 to 70 percent
so we can’t wait to see how the
week goes.”
The shopping experience
for clothing looks a bit different,
he said, as restrictions do
not allow customers to try on
the clothes before purchasing.
Only three people are allowed
in the shop at a time,
and they will be provided face
masks if they are not already
wearing one, Jean-Charles
said.
“We have everything ready
for the customers when they
come in,” Jean- Charles said.
“If someone walks in without
a mask, we will have one for
them.”
Lullaby Baby — another
Fifth Avenue storefront between
11th and 12th streets —
also reopened Monday, though
they have been operating with
pick-up and delivery to continue
serving the neighborhood
as its only baby retailer.
“I don’t believe our customers
were able to afford us
not being available to them at
any capacity,” said the store’s
owner, Yossi Rapoport. “We
Park Slope’s La Belle Boutique is hosting a sale to kick off their reopening.
Photo by Jessica Parks
are the only baby store in this
neighborhood and people do
rely on us.”
Opening the gates makes
the shop more noticeable for
passersby, Rapoport said,
which he hopes provide a
boost to business as he is currently
only making a fraction
of the sales he was prior to the
pandemic.
“The main difference is
that we are more visible,”
Rapoport said. “That makes it
easier for the customer to remember
that we are there to
serve them.”
Many of the storefronts on
Park Slope’s business corridor
did not open Monday, according
to the executive director
of the Park Slope Business Improvement
District, as many
store owners took the day to
work out the logistics of operating
under the new regulations.
“It’s not really as dramatic
as the city would have you believe
since its only curbside
pickup,” said Mark Caserta.
“Businesses were trying to fi gure
out how to make it work.”
The business-boosting
group is offering up to 20
masks per employee to any
neighborhood business that
requests them.
Reopening, slowly
Storefronts slow to get back to business
on fi rst day of New York City’s reopening
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