Myria Smallwood couldn\u2019t wait to unlock Crystal Tuning\u2019s front door and turn on the open sign Monday morning.<\/p>\n
For weeks, the small mom-and-pop shop at 819 Grand Ave. in Glenwood Springs had been forced to dip into its reserves due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it lasts much longer and people don\u2019t come back, I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Smallwood said.<\/p>\n
Although Crystal Tuning certainly has a local following, like so many other businesses downtown, it still relies predominantly on tourists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably a good 80% of my business,\u201d Smallwood said of the foot traffic generated by tourism. \u201cIt\u2019s major. We have to have that to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The small business owner, however, was optimistic Crystal Tuning would make it through the crisis.<\/p>\n
And, being allowed to actually have customers come inside her rock, crystal and gift shop again Monday was certainly a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Glenwood is going to rebound,\u201d Smallwood said.<\/p>\n
Gov. Jared Polis\u2019 safer-at-home executive order allowed non-critical retail businesses like Crystal Tuning to reopen their interior space to customers May 1 as long as they maintain social distancing.<\/p>\n
Non-critical retail businesses in Garfield County had to wait until May 4 to do so.<\/p>\n
Local businesses also had to submit an online form to the county detailing how they would maintain social distancing requirements and a clean work environment.<\/p>\n
Garfield County Public Health reported over 550 businesses had completed their plans online as of 5 p.m. Monday.<\/p>\n
Russell Cabe, a retail and rental manager at Sunlight Ski & Bike Shop, said they had submitted their social distancing plan to the county and were actively following it.<\/p>\n
Standing on circles placed at least 6 feet apart, a handful of customers waited in the bike shop\u2019s parking lot to be helped Monday morning.<\/p>\n
Cabe and other Sunlight Ski & Bike Shop employees were largely assisting customers in the parking lot and only bringing people inside if necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we do need to bring someone into the shop we will now but we\u2019re basically just escorting that person in with an employee,\u201d Cabe said. \u201cWe\u2019re only allowing one person or group in at a time \u2014 no more than five people.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Cabe said the shop had temporarily suspended bike rentals, possibly, until the end of May.<\/p>\n
Nestled in the heart of downtown, Elizabeth Dean Boutique also reopened its interior space for business Monday.<\/p>\n
According to owner Nicole Nelson, the boutique had been in the process of building an online store before the crisis and was currently ramping up those efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely inspired me to get online,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n
While the pandemic may have illustrated the benefits of online sales, for Nelson, her boutique\u2019s physical location and the customers who walked in were still her top priority.<\/p>\n
Nelson was confident that people would, once again, start making their way into her shop downtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t ever give up,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n