RETAIL
TREASURE COAST MERCHANTS ADJUSTING
TO BUSINESS THE NEW NORMAL WAY
City officials permitted merchants in historic downtown Fort Pierce to expand their services and offerings to outdoor areas called parklets, which are created by
enclosing the parking spaces outside their businesses, using barricades provided by the city. These parklets help to accommodate those customers who might
be hesitant to come inside due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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TCBusiness.com
After closing their doors for nearly two
months during Florida’s COVID-19 stayat
home order, retailers are rolling out the
red carpet with CDC safety precautions
for returning customers. While the general
public appears to be eager to get out and
shop, some are still hesitant to spend too
much time lingering and browsing inside
the stores.
New and creative ways are being
devised to assist retailers who need the
business more than ever. The City of Fort
Pierce teamed up with Main Street Fort
Pierce to help small downtown businesses
expand their storefronts onto the street
by blocking off parking spaces with barricades.
Shop owners have enhanced the
curbside areas with pop-up tents, flower
boxes, comfortable seating and display
tables and racks.
“Many people are still cautious about
being in enclosed spaces, so by creating
parklets in front of the storefronts, customers
can shop in the fresh air where social
distancing is more easily practiced,” said
Doris Tillman, executive director of Main
Street Fort Pierce.
“Business owners applied to the city
to have the parking spaces in front of
their store partitioned off,” she said. “This
expansion was done at the city’s expense
with no cost to the merchant. There’s still
plenty of street vehicle parking since not
all businesses chose to block off the parking
spots.”
“The parklet concept has generated
new customers for me,” said Beryl Muise,
owner of Notions & Potions, a local artisan
boutique. “Customers purchased products
from the parklet who had never previously
KERRY FIRTH
visited the store.”
Muise used her ingenuity and creativity
to generate revenue during the shutdown
by making face masks.
“I started making masks for friends and
put them on Facebook and within three
days I had requests for 400,” Muise said.
“The mask-making business evolved and
we made and sold over 1,200 of them
online and with curbside pickup. It’s still
a big part of my business even after the
reopening.”
The downtown merchants hope to
attract even more clientele during their
Christmas in July event on July 25. Businesses
and parklets will be decked out
in holiday décor and the city will create a
couple of selfie stations. Guests can stroll
down Second Street while safely social distancing
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and taking selfies at each business
BY KERRY FIRTH
/TCBusiness.com