Curbside your enthusiasm
Downtown Lodi businesses begin reopening
A handful of Downtown Lodi business owners were happy to have their doors open Friday, even though they were limited to serving clientele to curbside pickup and delivery.
“It’s great to say hello to humans,” French At Heart owner Kay Claxton said. “I miss that part. That’s why you’re in business. As a boutique owner, you’re in business to serve the public.”
Claxton, like many downtown business owners, had to close her doors in mid-March when Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Joaquin
County Public health officials issued stay-at-home orders declaring small business retailers “non-essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Late Thursday, the county issued a revised order allowing small business retail to open, provided they limit operations to curbside pickup and deliveries.
Claxton re-opened French At Heart at 10 a.m. Friday, and said she had provided curbside pickup to about 10 customers.
“It was a great day,” she said. “Just to see people out, and everyone is out and actually being happy. It’s like some kind of normalcy.”
Claxton said she plans to be open for about four hours each day, except Sundays. Customers can visit
to order her wares, and then make an appointment to pick their purchase up at the store, located at 16 N. School St.
Fashion Safari owner Tammy Blair said the county allowed her to open her doors on April 30, because she began making homemade face masks she had been selling online over the last two months.
She posted guidelines on her front door limiting customers to two at a time inside, and placed six-foot markers throughout the store to ensure they maintain social distancing guidelines.
Blair said she went above and beyond as well, installing a plexiglass barrier between her register and customers.
She also provides hand sanitizer and masks to customers, if they want them, to make sure everyone inside remains safe.
“I had to make sure I could do all that before I could open,” she said. “So I took my time, because it’s such a big responsibility to make customers feel safe. I feel really good about it.”
However, now that small businesses are allowed to open at a limited basis, she said it has felt good to begin selling merchandise again.
“It feels really different,” she said. “But people are being pretty good. I’ve had a few people leave because I’m being pretty strict about the two (customers) at a time, and they haven’t been happy. A lot of people, it’s their first time being out. It’s emotional for everyone.”
One downtown business had clientele inside the building, and the owner stated they thought the Lodi City Council had given shops the go-ahead to do so.
The council discussed the status of the state and county stay-at-home orders during its Wednesday night teleconference meeting.
Council members suggested drafting a letter to Newsom and the county to urge them to let the city have local control with regard to how to re-open its economy.
There was no discussion to allow customers inside businesses once they were allowed to reopen, or to let businesses operate as they choose.
“The council hasn’t given guidelines to anyone,” city manager Steve Schwabauer said Friday. “The city is not a public health official, and cannot encourage people to violate any order. People need to be looking at the county and state orders with regard as to how to operate.”
For a complete text of the revised order, visit
For the governor’s ‘Roadmap to Recovery,’