GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Saturday was expected to be one of the busiest days of the year in downtown Grand Rapids, but Irish on Ionia was canceled to keep the crowds down and minimize the spread of the coronavirus.

News 8 checked in with some shops in Grand Rapids to see how the coronavirus is impacting business. Some folks are treating it like any other weekend.

>>Local event cancellations, closures due to COVID-19

“I’m just not too worried about it,” said Connor Mattson, a Grand Rapids local. “People get sick, but we’re all washing our hands, keeping clean and that’s about it.”

“Actually, fresh air is the best remedy,” said Wendi Curtis, also living in the city. “It’s more sanitary out here than in my house, probably right? Even though I bought all the Lysol.”

Whether you’re self-quarantining or going about your day like normal, it’s a strange time.

And businesses are suffering for it.

“With the event cancellations downtown, it’s been a lot slower,” said Jazz Feyer-Salo, manager at Madcap Coffee downtown.

“We have a bit of a conundrum on our hands,” said Sarah Wepman, co-owner at Littlebird, That Early Bird and Kingfisher restaurants in the city.

Postponing the hours of operation is a luxury that many local businesses can’t afford.

“Being closed for a period of time would be devastating to us,” Wepman said. “We want to keep our staff supported monetarily and, of course, be as protective of their health as possible.”

And they’re taking more sanitary measures, such as wiping down equipment more often.

“And then we also pulled all of our self-serve items like lids and sleeves, milk and sugar behind the bar,” Feyer-Salo said. “And basically, we are bringing it out upon request.”

Business is down, but these business owners get it and know it’s nothing personal.

“I would assume the people who truly have a grave concern are probably staying home,” he said. “The people that we have here are trying to carry on their lives as normal. But I think everybody’s at least trying to be a little bit more cautious than average.”

Some of these restaurant owners are changing their business models a bit as well.

Kingfisher, Littlebird and That Early Bird will soon have curbside pickup and delivery options ready to go.