{"id":2455822,"date":"2020-03-15T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=322694"},"modified":"2020-03-15T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T05:00:00","slug":"aspen-eateries-businesses-navigate-how-to-help-community-spirit-and-avoid-coronavirus-spread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-eateries-businesses-navigate-how-to-help-community-spirit-and-avoid-coronavirus-spread\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen eateries, businesses navigate how to help community spirit and avoid coronavirus spread"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
A Carl’s Pharmacy employee helps a customer shop March 15, 2020. The store decided not to let anyone shop for themselves in the pharmacy and have employees shop for customers instead to help mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/strong>
Maddie Vincent\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Walking through the streets of Aspen on Sunday the morning after the state\u2019s ski areas were ordered to close<\/a>, there was a greater mix of vacant businesses and restaurants among lively retail shops and eateries.<\/p>\n

A busy, open White House Tavern contrasted the empty, dark inside of Tatanka Western Bistro next door, which a window sign said would be closed until May.<\/p>\n

Carl\u2019s Pharmacy was open, but employees with masks and gloves shopped for customers, bringing items to its side door for purchase instead of letting people inside.<\/p>\n

Other restaurants and businesses around town had new and remaining signs<\/a> posted in their windows either informing people of their closures to help stop the spread of COVID-19, or of the sanitary and social distancing precautions they were taking to stay open and continue to serve the local community.<\/p>\n

For Adam Malmgren, one of Mi Chola\u2019s managing partners, the decision to remain open or closed because of COVID-19 is tough to navigate, which is why the restaurant is closing for one day Monday so staff can have time discuss its next steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the strongest pillars of our business model is to be a place for the locals, so we want to do all we can to continue to serve the local crowd,\u201d Malmgren said Sunday afternoon. \u201cWe\u2019re doing the best to find that line between being there for the community and following the CDC guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus and meet social distancing guidelines, Malmgren said Mi Chola has taken out half of its tables and stopped serving altogether once its kitchen closes to keep the restaurant from becoming a gathering spot.<\/p>\n

Malmgren also said he checks the CDC website every day and ensures his employees don\u2019t come into work if they are feeling sick, but feels it is going to take the entire Aspen community finding a balance together to address the local COVID-19 outbreak.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the main reasons we want to stay open is we want to continue to serve the community but still adhere to the social distancing guidelines,\u201d Malmgren said. \u201cThe only way we\u2019ll survive this is as a community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan Sweeney, owner of both Ryno\u2019s Pub and Pizzeria and Silver City Mountain Saloon, said he wants to continue to serve the community but is concerned with encouraging large gatherings by doing so.<\/p>\n

He said he and his business partner kept Silver City Mountain Saloon open over the weekend thinking it could be a place for individuals and small groups to meet, but instead found it attracted larger numbers of people who \u201cacted like there was nothing going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Sweeney and his business partner decided Saturday evening to close Silver City, and why starting Monday Ryno\u2019s will be take-out only, allowing customers to order over the phone or at the front door but not allowing anyone inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need food, people need to eat and I know we\u2019re an affordable option in town so we want to keep feeding the community and ensure no one goes hungry,\u201d Sweeney said.<\/p>\n

When asked if it\u2019s been harder to order food and goods for Ryno\u2019s since the COVID-19 outbreak, Sweeney said he hasn\u2019t had a problem getting food but that paper and disposable supplies are \u201cdrying up,\u201d even from major supply companies.<\/p>\n

Sweeney said he\u2019s had to reduce his workforce by roughly 75% as a result of shifting to carryout only, noting that many Aspen-area businesses are encouraging laid off employees to file for unemployment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t commit to making up lost wages at all,\u201d Sweeney said. \u201cIf I commit and this goes on for another two to three weeks, I could be out of a business.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went on to say he feels many locals aren\u2019t taking the county public health order and social distancing requirements seriously, and that it is his responsibility as a business owner to limit his operations to in turn help limit the opportunity for larger group interactions and COVID-19 spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaution is No. 1. I feel we\u2019d be doing a disservice if we opened normally and operated as if nothing is going on,\u201d Sweeney said.<\/p>\n

But for Michaela Carpenter, one of Local Coffee House\u2019s three owners, she feels it would be a disservice if her shop was not open to the community as a place for individuals and small groups to gather, especially now that the ski areas are closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of negative impacts to mental health that come with social distancing,\u201d Carpenter said, noting that Local Coffee is trying to find a balance between encouraging connection and social distancing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want to provide a hygienic community space. Even if they can\u2019t closely interact with others, people can find some community here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carpenter said she was discouraged when she learned the state\u2019s ski areas would shut down for a week as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. She feels skiing is a healthy, more individual activity people can take part in.<\/p>\n

Audrey Holmes, a resident who has lived in Aspen full-time for 18 years, said she also was discouraged when the ski areas closed Sunday. She said she skis every day and that getting out in the fresh air is good for her well-being.<\/p>\n

As Holmes stood near a handful of others outside of Carl\u2019s Pharmacy waiting for employees to bring them their purchased items to the store\u2019s side door, Holmes talked about how she feels badly for the families who are in a bind because their children don\u2019t have school and for the elderly residents who are more isolated.<\/p>\n

She thinks getting the ski areas back open will help the community\u2019s well-being as a whole.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think skiing is vital in this town, especially for locals who live here. We all love to be on the mountain and most of us are out there every day,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cI\u2019ll start skinning up, of course, but hopefully they open again.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Stacy Adler, pharmacy manager at Carl\u2019s Pharmacy, found out the state\u2019s ski areas were being ordered to close, she had a different reaction from some locals.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we heard the ski slopes were closing we were like, \u2018OK, this is serious,\u2019\u201d Adler said of Carl\u2019s Pharmacy.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Sunday, the first day of the closure and a slower business day, the pharmacy implemented its employees-shop-for-customers strategy, which Adler said local medical professionals encouraged her to implement late last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a hard thing to put in place but we felt Sunday was a good day to start so we could figure out how to do it,\u201d Adler said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to take it day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adler said as the local outbreak evolves the pharmacy\u2019s operations will evolve, too, acknowledging that she has a team of volunteers ready to help deliver food and goods to people self-isolated or unable to get to the store if needed.<\/p>\n

Similar to Sweeney, Adler said the warehouses Carl\u2019s Pharmacy gets its goods from seem to be stretched, but that the store is doing everything it can to remain open so people can continue to access medicine and other items.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how important it is to have access to pharmaceuticals, and our goal is to keep that access but to do it in a safe way for everyone,\u201d Adler said. \u201cFrom what I see and have read, being more proactive may lose money in the short term but will save so much money and so many lives in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the ski area closures, many locals were out Sunday biking, walking, skinning and taking part in other outdoor activities besides downhill skiing or snowboarding.<\/p>\n

Pitkin County officials recommend getting outside alone or with household members, but emphasize that avoiding groups and gatherings with people outside of your household is absolutely paramount, as \u201canecdotally we know we have transmission in our community. We can make assumptions that people showing symptoms of it probably have COVID-19,\u201d a community letter released by county officials Sunday<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

The letter acknowledged that Pitkin County, Aspen and Snowmass officials are deeply concerned about the economic impacts of the cancellations and closures made to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and that the county will continue to find a balance between the safety of the community as a whole and the economic well-being of local workers and businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are renowned for our spirit and our ability to persevere,\u201d the community letter said. \u201cLet\u2019s demonstrate compassion, patience and above all, an unfailing effort to support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Carl’s Pharmacy employee helps a customer shop March 15, 2020. The store decided not to let anyone shop for themselves in the pharmacy and have employees shop for customers instead to help mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak.Maddie Vincent\/The Aspen Times Walking through the streets of Aspen on Sunday the morning after the state\u2019s ski areas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2455822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 10:27:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}