Some businesses more ready than others to reopen as phase one begins in Kentucky
Patsy Franklin was perplexed that her dog-grooming business was among the many deemed non-essential nearly two months ago by Gov. Andy Beshear as part of actions undertaken to combat the spread of COVID-19. Why was being able to purchase paint at the nearest Home Depot — something she confessed to doing herself while removed from her clients — considered more important than the care of a living organism?
She squealed with glee when Beshear announced that pet-grooming services were included in phase one of Kentucky’s business reopening plan, which went into effect Monday. Non-essential manufacturing and construction, automobile and boat dealerships, professional services at 50 percent of capacity, plus horse racing without fans and photography were also allowed included in phase one.
Franklin and her business partner, Jeff Moniz, are the only employees at The Trim Room Pet Grooming (507 E New Circle Rd.) and already have clients booked into June. Many had appointments postponed in March, and the effects of those delays have already revealed themselves.
“(A dog) just today ripped its whole toenail off because it was too long,” Franklin said. “Eight weeks is too long. He ripped his whole toenail off. It’s not going to grow back. ... What shocked me was that veterinarians were only allowed to do emergencies. They left a whole population of our family members out.”
Ear infections and eye infections are common if dogs’ hair grows unnecessarily long, she said. Skin infections are something she’s prepared to see quite a bit in the coming weeks, too, because “people are trying to wash them at home and they’re not able to get all the soap out or they’ve been using the wrong kind of soap.”
Having to observe those avoidable maladies is distressing, as is having to tell long-time clients that they might have to wait another month, but getting her clippers back in hand was therapeutic for Franklin, who at an early age adopted a “sun-up-to-sun-down” work ethic and has been restless during what grew into seven-week layoff.
She’s referring clients who aren’t able to wait any longer to other groomers in Lexington, and has placed kennels in the waiting area of her business for them to place their pets themselves to keep appropriate distance, though there was never much touching between herself and clients prior to the pandemic. Every client who comes into the building must wear a mask.
“That’s been a battle, ’cause a lot of people don’t want to wear masks,” Franklin said.
Photography
Professional photographers were allowed to get back to work Monday, under the conditions that they wear masks and only take photos of family units. They’re also encouraged to only shoot outside.
Normally, spring would be a busy time of year for Holifield Photography but senior photos and graduation pictures had been put on hold during the shutdown.
Owner Theresa Holifield said they still aren’t ready to reopen their studios on Moore Drive.
“We have so many employees that we’re still getting things set up,” she said. “We have to revamp everything. We can’t have all the people walking through the front door. We have to clean every prop that gets used. It’s going to be massive.”
She said they hope to be up and running again by June 1.
At Greer Portrait Studio, Leeann Greer said they have reopened and rescheduled portraits but nothing much has changed.
“We only offer private portrait appointments for one family at a time,” Greer said in an email. “We have a large camera room so social distancing is not a problem.”
Vehicles
Auto and boat dealerships were among the other nonessential businesses allowed to reopen in a limited capacity Monday.
Things weren’t different at all for Day’s Boat Sales in Frankfort. It never closed completely in March because it offers repair services, and most of its sales prior to March were done via the internet. The last two months were “business as usual,” according to Brandon Johnson, a marketing manager for Day’s.
“We were this way three years ago, and luckily it’s grown and grown and grown,” Johnson said. “We tried it and made it the best we could well before all this happened. We opened our doors today but there hasn’t been any foot traffic, but we never have any foot traffic anyway.”
What’s next
Monday was the first day for phased reopenings. The state will continue to allow different industries and businesses to reopen over time.
On May 18, government offices and agencies will be able to reopen, according to the state’s schedule. On May 20, funeral and memorial services will be able to resume, and retail stores can reopen. On May 22, restaurants can reopen at 33 percent capacity and with outdoor seating. On May 25, cosmetology businesses, hair salons, barbershops, massage therapy shops, nail salons, tanning salons and tattoo parlors will be able to reopen.
As of right now, there will be three reopening days in June. On June 1, fitness centers and movie theaters will be able to reopen. On June 11, campgrounds will be able to reopen. On June 15, some child care centers and low-touch, outdoor youth sports will be able to resume.
Bars cannot reopen until July 1, as of now. Groups of up to 50 people will also be permitted on July 1.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
