WASHINGTON — The District will be closed until June 8, but there is a sign of a slow, reopening, in a pilot program that could help D.C. shops plan better for phasing in their businesses.
Mayor Bowser said there are about 40 local businesses that can apply for the educational and academic retail waiver starting Friday. Friday is also the day the city plans to release its plan for summer activities and school in the fall.
Kathleen Donahue has owned Labyrinth Games and Puzzles in the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE for 10 years. Donahue had different plans to mark the milestone, but she finds herself changing her business plan and sending employees walking. It’s not what you think, after a decade on Capitol Hill, Donahue is delivering to customers through a neighboring business.
“Games frequently teach you how to be confronted with a situation and you have to adapt, and you have to figure out strategically how to win,” she said, “hopefully we're not going to close down, and we'll somehow win the Coronavirus.”
Labyrinth and their neighbor East City Book Shop have teamed up with Mr. Henry’s bar and restaurant up the street to offer to pick up. At Labyrinth, they bag up phone and online orders, an employee walks them up to Mr. Henry’s, and customers can pick up their games from the restaurant. “It’s been a lifesaver for us,” she said.
But Donahue hopes she won’t have to use Mr. Henry’s much longer, thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s new pilot program. “Through this pilot we will grant waivers to locally owned stores in the city that sell educational based items, such as books, for curbside or front door pick up.” Donahue said she’s very hopeful about what the Mayor said, but admitted, “I am very nervous about reopening. I don't want to put myself or my family or my staff in harm's way or our customers.”
So, after a decade in the game, Donahue is rolling the dice: hoping this new way of business will help them stay afloat and their customers engaged.
“It's really critical that kids especially after being out of school, or distance learning for so long, it's really critical to keep those skills up in kids,” Donahue explained, “Games and puzzles are an excellent way to do that, while having fun.”
According to city data, we need a 14-day decrease of COVID-19 cases in order to safely reopen. Right now, Mayor Bowser said our cases are going down but only for the past four days.