This wasn’t the way we wanted things to start out. We were so close to the finish line. Construction was finishing up, equipment was going to be delivered, baristas were being hired and here comes a pandemic. Who would have guessed? First we quarantined the coffee shop since we could not be certain the safety guidelines our staff was following would be followed by every outside worker who set foot in the building in the area closest to some of the most vulnerable folks working in the entire building. Some of the coffee shop’s staff is also immune compromised so they took this time to work from home or care for their children using their vacation time or unpaid time. It was a difficult time for everyone. Our vendors had mostly closed, though some remained opened part-time for curbside delivery. The state was still on a mandatory essential business only track and the schools were all still closed. Some restaurants still had drive thru lines and curbside pick up but most everything else was shut down. It was a strange and scary time. The grocery stores were empty of basic needs like toilet paper, milk, meat, soap and cleaning agents.

So we waited. Again. We would open on another safer day.