After surprise order, Iowa retailers make quick decisions whether to reopen Friday

Amy Hassebrock woke up at 2 a.m. Thursday to dozens of text messages from friends and customers excited that she can reopen her East Village boutique under new guidance from Iowa’s governor.

She plans to open Aimee, 426 E. Locust St. in Des Moines, to customers Friday. But she’s hesitant to say it’s a cause for celebration.  

Hassebrock knows that her regulars, who have been ordering online and picking up their new outfits and accessories curbside, are eager to come shop in person again. But she understands others may be hesitant — and that some of her business neighbors may decide not to open. 

“It’s the first time for everybody,” Hassebrock said. “No one knows the answers, so we’re just going to be delicate.” 

Effective Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds is easing coronavirus-related business restrictions in metro Des Moines' Polk and Dallas counties and 20 other counties where cases of COVID-19 have been steadily increasing. The order allows retail stores and malls to reopen with certain limitations, including operating at 50% capacity and adhering to social-distancing and sanitation guidelines. Fitness centers can open by appointment only and may admit just one person at a time.

The Republican governor’s new order expands on guidance issued last week that allowed some businesses to open in 77 counties where cases of the novel coronavirus were minimal or declining.  

As of Thursday, 11,059 Iowans had tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Eighty-nine percent of all cases are in the 22 counties where businesses are reopening Friday. 

Reynolds attributed the rise in cases to increased testing statewide and to “hot spots” in counties where there are outbreaks. She said it should be up to business owners whether they open their doors, and up to Iowans whether they want to patronize them.   

“Iowans will make the decision whether they want to go to the facility or not. But we've done it on a very limited basis, and you know … people are going to the grocery store … this was a fairness issue and really opening up retail statewide,” she said at her daily news conference Thursday.  

The easing of restrictions comes a week before Reynolds’ original order was set to expire, surprising some business owners and leading to last-minute reopening plans.  

Area malls were slow to announce their plans for reopening as managers were unsure which stores would be back in business. And small businesses reported needing more time to make a decision.  

“I wasn’t prepared for this to come out yet,” said Kristie Anderson, owner of Azalea Lane Boutique in Adel. “I was definitely preparing for May 15th to come up with a decision.” 

Even then, Anderson figured store closures would extend past the original date, given the number of cases in Dallas County, where her store is.  

Anderson has been offering in-person shopping by appointment and plans to continue doing that this weekend. She said she will decide Monday whether to fully reopen her store.  

The 20 other counties where restrictions will be lifted are Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Linn, Louisa, Marshall, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Washington and Woodbury.

'Start bringing the economy back' 

Now that two months have passed since the coronavirus was first detected in Iowa, Reynolds said she is shifting her focus from keeping COVID-19 from overwhelming hospitals to “managing and containing virus activity as we begin to open back up.”  

Iowa can safely reopen retail establishments statewide, Reynolds said, because 79% of the state’s ICU beds and 74% of its ventilators are available, meaning hospitals could handle a surge.  

Iowa’s reopenings come as signs of economic strain are showing, including the first pandemic-era bankruptcy filing by a major department store chain, Neiman Marcus, on Thursday.  

Meanwhile, another 24,693 unemployment claims have been filed by Iowans, for a total of 285,422 claims since restrictions were placed on businesses in mid-March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

In Iowa, the retail sector accounts for more jobs than any other industry, including agriculture, according to the National Retail Federation.

“I think the essential retail folks, like grocery stores, that have been open have done a very good job of dealing with compliance issues and being safe, and I think this is an opportunity to slowly start bringing the economy back,” said Jim Henter, president of the Iowa Retail Federation.

But, he said, the governor’s order does not mean Iowa’s retail businesses will be back to normal right away. Some that didn’t stay open to offer curbside or delivery need to restock their shelves, others need to acquire more protective equipment, and most need to figure out how to bring their employees back.  

'One day is not enough notice'

Many retailers told the Register they were caught off guard by the governor’s announcement. Nonessential stores have been closed since March 26 under a coronavirus emergency declaration from Reynolds.

"After being closed for almost seven weeks, one day is not enough notice for anybody to be ready to be open," said Don Short, owner of West End Architectural Salvage in downtown Des Moines. “… I don't feel that we need to just open up because we were told we can.” 

Around the metro, Merle Hay Mall, Valley West Mall, the Outlets of Des Moines and Jordan Creek Town Center said they will open their doors Friday, but it’s up to owners of stores within the malls whether they will begin welcoming customers. 

Von Maur, one of Valley West’s anchors, will reopen with reduced hours, the department store announced Thursday morning. Trisha Barton, marketing director for the mall, said JCPenney, another anchor, would not reopen yet due to delays in getting protective gear for employees. 

"A lot of our stores are kind of scrambling right now to get their stores back into shape and get stock on the shelves and things like that," Barton said. 

Under the governor’s order, stores can operate at 50% capacity, based on the maximum number of people allowed under the fire code. They must adopt stricter sanitation measures and ensure their customers can stay at least 6 feet apart.  

At malls, common spaces such as play areas and food courts must remain closed.  

While the governor’s announcement was “kind of shocking” to Cindy Lane, owner of Cindy’s Boutique in Valley Junction, she said she’s ready to open her doors and start seeing customers face-to-face again — and hopes other businesses will follow suit.  

About one-third of businesses in the district will open at 50% capacity Friday, according to the Historic Valley Junction Foundation.  

“Heck yeah, we are ready,” said Lane, who plans to clean dressing rooms between customers, steam clean any clothing that’s tried on and give away the pens customers use to sign receipts. “It’s a huge relief. It feels like we can finally get back to a little normal.” 

Others felt it was still unsafe to open their doors. Jan Weissmiller, owner of Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City — the state's early epicenter of COVID-19 infections — said she will not reopen until cases have declined for two weeks. For now, the business will continue operating with curbside pickup while hosting events via Zoom and Instagram. 

“We don’t want to make things worse right now," Weissmiller said.  

Order on fitness centers 'a little frustrating'

The governor’s order also allows fitness centers in the 22 previously restricted counties to open by appointment only.  

Metro Des Moines fitness centers said the one-person-at-a-time rule would be difficult to meet, and they would opt instead to wait until more patrons can be allowed in. Neither the YMCA of Greater Des Moines nor Power Life Yoga will reopen Friday. 

The Garage, the home of CrossFit 8035, will open to personal-training clients next week, but that’s only a small part of the business, owner Abi Reiland said. She called Reynolds’ order "a little frustrating."

The gym has more than 200 members, and its main selling point is community: large groups, loud music and barbells. To get on a path to normalcy, Reiland said she'll need to be able to have small groups of 10 or so people safely back in the gym.

Also in Reynolds' order: Dental services can resume. Campgrounds, drive-in theaters and tanning facilities can reopen statewide if they meet certain requirements. 

Businesses such as hair salons and barbershops remain closed statewide.  

And while restaurants in 77 counties have reopened with limitations, the current carryout- and delivery-only restrictions apply in the 22 counties where retail orders lift Friday.

Reporters Austin Cannon and Aimee Breaux contributed to this report.

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Follow her on Twitter @KimNorvellDMR.

Katie Akin is a retail reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8041. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

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