Photo/Peter Van Allen
The sign says it all at Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland: Closed until 'this whole thing blows over.'
Updated: March 16, 2020
Maine consumer businesses close temporarily, go online, try to adapt to pandemic
Photo|Renee Cordes
The Apple store at the Maine Mall was eerily empty on Saturday after the retailer closed all retail locations outside greater China for the next two weeks.
Photo/Renee Cordes
Apple employees standing outside the store to help customers with queries.
Photo/Renee Cordes
Trader Joe's on Marginal Way in Portland was busy on Friday morning as shoppers stocked up.
Photo/Maureen Milliken
Bad luck on Friday the 13th for those trying to buy soap at the Hannaford on Stone St. in Augusta.
Photo/Renee Cordes
A hand sanitizer station at the Maine Mall, which was less crowded than normal on Saturday morning.
Photo/Renee Cordes
A world away from crowded grocery stores, the prom dress section at Macy's drew a few shoppers.
Photo/Renee Cordes
At the Honda Berlin City waiting room in South Portland, customers were watching highlights from Six Nations Rugby on the telly.
Photo/Peter Van Allen
The sign says it all at Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland.
Even before Gov, Janet Mills on Sunday declared a state of emergency to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Maine retailers and other businesses were embracing a new normal from shutdowns to online or takeout solutions.
On Saturday morning at the Maine Mall, the Apple store was eerily empty after its global owner, Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), closed all stores outside China until March 27. For customers who needed help, employees were stationed outside with tablets to answer any questions, referring customers to online technical support.
The South Portland location is Apple's only one in Maine.
Elsewhere in the mall, it was mainly business as usual, though perhaps slightly quieter than a normal Saturday, with shoppers getting their ears pierced, trying on prom dresses at Macy's, buying phones at Verizon and having lunch at the food court.
The small Verizon store had plenty of hand-sanitizer dispensers, and a sign saying that all personnel were required to wash their hands after every customer interaction.
Panera Bread, at 343 Gorham Road, displayed a sign at the register about enhanced protocols and for cleaning and sanitizing its bakery-cafes as about a dozen or so, mainly elderly, customers chatted over breakfast.
Tea bags were also behind the counter rather than at the front for customers to handle.
Down the street at Berlin City Honda, customers were watching highlights of a Six Nations Rugby match between England and Wales.
Portland restaurants adapt to take-out
Many Portland restaurants and cafes have adapted curbside take-out and other options for diners.
Drifter's Wife, Green Elephant and Leeward are among the restaurants offering curbside take-out, according to Portland Food Map.
A full list is available on the Portland Food Map site.
At Tandem Coffee on Anderson Street in Portland, a sign posted on the front door read, "ALERT! In an effort to keep us all nice and healthy, all Tandems will be offering to-go service only until this whole thing blows over."
The scene in Freeport and MDI
In Freeport, the shopping district was surprisingly busy with many people walking on Main Street and Bow Street, carrying bags from L.L. Bean and elsewhere as if it were a normal Saturday, reports Mainebiz's Will Hall. But nearly all pedestrians were striding alone or with a single partner. CVS was busy but without long lines. However, there was no hand sanitizer on shelves, only at the checkouts for in-store use.
On Mount Desert Island, businesses were also closing and taking precautions, Mainebiz's Laurie Schreiber reports from Downeast.
The Bar Harbor movie theater and eatery Reel Pizza were closed for the foreseeable future.
In Southwest Harbor, Carroll Drug Store has notified customers it will screen them for risk of the virus by asking a few questions about their health over the phone. The pharmacy is also expanding its prescription delivery services for customers anywhere on Mount Desert Island and asking customers to think about picking up cough and cold medication to have on hand at home to avoid coming in when they’re sick.
Other stores that were open over the weekend said they were closing temporarily as of Monday. They included Portland-based music and entertainment retailer Bull Moose, which has nine locations in Maine and three in New Hampshire. The retailer used social media to announce that it is going online only starting today while continuing to pay staff as though they were working regular shifts.
Crowded aisles, empty grocery shelves
As in other parts of the country, grocery stores were packed with shoppers stocking up on what they could, leaving toilet paper aisles depleted.
Photo/Maureen Milliken
As at many other stores, the bath tissue aisle at Hannaford on Whitten Road in Augusta is looking pretty bare.
On Sunday, an employee working at the Hannaford to Go on Whitten Road in Augusta said the service is booked through Thursday, reports Mainebiz's Maureen Milliken.
Hannaford also has a note on its website that customers placing orders may find it ore difficult to reserve same-day or next-day pick up time and that it recommends reserving a pick-up time earlier than normal.
It also said there may be purchase limit of two per customer on high-demand items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer and household cleansers.
'We are working hard to provide more Hannaford to Go support in those stores and appreciate your patience as we find solutions," a sign said.
Trader Joe's at 87 Marginal Way in Portland was also busy, with one employee telling customers the store wouldn't be getting new shipments of pasta from Italy, one of the countries hardest-hit by the coronavirus.
Brewers taking precautions
Craft brewers in Maine are also taking precautions.
On Saturday, Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland said it was closing its tasting room for two weeks, citing the latest information about increased, voluntary "social distancing" as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19. The initial plan is to stay closed to the public for tasting and tours through March 28.
"After that time, we'll look at the situation and decide if it's in our employees' and guests' best interest to reopen," it said in an online notice.
In the meantime, it's selling packaged beer via a curbside pickup service it's calling "Allagash on the Fly."
The brewery is also cancelling all tours for the next 30 days, and said it will be taking care of its tasting room staff with mix of paid time off and re-deploying to other projects in the company.
"We still plan to make beer during this time."
Portland's Foundation Brewing Co. also closed its tasting room, opting for to-go purchases and cashless transactions for the next two weeks.
"This was not an easy decision for us," it said in a statement posted online. "Our tasting room is a place of community and friendship, both things people look for in challenging times, and is core to what we love about what we do. However, for the time being, we feel this is the right step."
In Freeport, Maine Beer Co. closed its tap room on U.S. Route 1 for regular on-premise draft and food service until further notice, offering an online order system and curbside pickup for bottle and pizza to-go orders.
"Thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate this rapidly changing situation, and we hope that by taking these steps we will be able to hasten our return to normal operations and welcome our community back into our tap room," it said.
Among brewers remaining open, Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland issued a statement seeking to reassure customers.
"At Shipyard we are extremely meticulous with our cleaning practices," Shipyard said in a statement. "We always follow strict protocols for cleaning our tasting room and brewing facilities we want to assure our customers that we are taking every step to minimize the spread of viruses. Currently we are increasing the frequency of our routine sanitizing practices and we have hand sanitizer available for your convenience."
Shipyard also urging all guests to exercise best possible hygiene practices as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adding: "We remain committed to serving our guests, providing a safe work environment for our staff, and continuing to offer the highest quality beer and hospitality during this difficult time. Thank you for the ongoing love and support of our brand.
Ski areas call time
After wrapping up a busy weekend, some ski areas have ended the season early.
Sunday River said that all ski operations are closed until further notice, which also means that that all scheduled events are canceled. The Grand Summit Hotel, Jordan Hotel and Snow Cap Inn will also be closed during this time.
"This was not a decision we came to lightly, and we know that many of you will be disappointed," it said in a statement. "But our first responsibility is for the health and well-being of our staff, guests, and community, and it is clear that this is the only appropriate and responsible course of action for us to take."
Sunday River also noted that the decision will have a profound impact on employees and the local community, and said that all full-time seasonal staff will be paid for all of this week. It also said it will work with all all team members on transitional plans moving forward.
Sugarloaf made a similar announcement about suspending all operations after Sunday until further notice.
"We will continue to closely monitor this situation and will make any additional changes as necessary," it said.
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