This is the first weekend retail stores are able to do curbside and in-store pickup, and several businesses on the Ithaca Commons are ready.

 


What You Need To Know

  • This weekend is the first for curbside and in-store pickups in Central New York

  • In-store pickups must be ordered ahead of time

  • Owners are glad to be back open

 

“I would say it's almost a continuation of what we were doing, because we have a grocery license and we moved all of the food items to the front here, almost as you would see in a marketplace or a bodega," said Todd Kurzweil, co-founder of Sunny Days.

The loosening of restrictions on retail comes with guidelines. In-store pick-ups must be ordered ahead. Employees and customers must be wearing masks. Social distancing, hand sanitizer, and less than 50 percent capacity are also necessary.  

“We've got a table up front, and we’ve asked everyone that walks in the door to sign a piece of paper that says name, telephone number, and time in," said David Wrisley of Schooley’s Jewelers.

“Trying to use a tray instead of having any hand contact at all. Using chalk to mark off some distance," said Kurzweil.

Workers say they're happy to be back in business.

“Everybody that's walked in has really said it's nice to be able to come in and have a conversation," Wrisley said. "Whether we're selling something or doing anything, just to be able to have that communication and have a conversation with somebody means a lot from both sides of the aisle."

They're several more weeks of in-store pickup, and hanging in until businesses can be fully reopened.

“We need to just be patient and tolerant and make good choices in the short term coming up," said Kurzweil.

There's no official date yet on when phase two will be rolled out.