Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
PHILTER REOPENS
Owner shares his story of survival during the shutdown related to the coronavirus
KENNETT SQUARE » Doing what’s right is what compels Chris Thompson, owner of Philter in the heart of the borough.
He cited Jiminy Cricket and said, “Let your conscience be your guide,” during an interview Tuesday afternoon with the Daily Local News held tableside outside his business, Philter, at 111 W. State St.
Five people walked by during the interview attempting to enter, but hours have been reduced to a 2 p.m. closing time Monday through Friday.
Philter, one of the most renowned coffee shops in southeastern Pennsylvania, is open again. Known for its coffee. The taste.
On March 14, the day after Gov. Tom Wolf shut down all schools in Pennsylvania, Thompson made the choice to shut down Philter.
“I’m more cautious than most,” Thompson said. “Some things are more important than money.”
He’s moving forward, as Chester County still remains under state-mandated shutdown orders under its current “yellow” phase, at his own pace. Comfortable. Thompson said he is making decisions based on what’s best overall.
When Wolf moves Chester County to the “green phase,” Philter will again be allowed to have customers come inside and sit down for breakfast, lunch, coffee and baked goods. Until that happens, barber shops and hair salons also remained closed.
Thompson is married to Heather and together they have three sons.
During the quarantine, Thompson said his wife home-schooled their boys while teaching virtual lessons to middle school students. Heather teaches seventh grade and works for the Penn-Delco School District.
While his wife stayed home working remotely and overseeing their children, Thompson spent long hours at Philter beginning March 16.
He worked on creating a plan. How to survive with business suspended in wake of a quarantine
and pandemic.
On March 13, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency. The next day, Wolf announced that all restaurants, barber shops, hair salons must close by March 15. He then extended the deadline to March 16.
On that day, Thompson said he received an email from his landlord, checking in on how he was doing in light of everything.
Thompson responded that he was doing OK and closing the store temporarily in wake of the crisis.
The return email from his landlord said rent for the month was now reduced by 50%. And it’s continued on at that reduction through spring.
This support plus some innovative work and lots of research on grants for small businesses of behalf of Thompson’s support is quintessential for Philter’s survival.
Many people are without jobs. Millions have field for unemployment benefits nationwide since the crisis began.
And Philter is ready for a rebound. Thompson reopened PJune 12, a week after the governor moved Chester County to “yellow” from “red” restrictions, and brought back several employees.
Philter is now open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Saturday. This equates to eight-hour shifts, and Thompson is on-site along with two team employees.
During the shutdown, Thompson quickly took enterprising steps to move forward by creating an online store and offering delivery services. One new item he launched is the 64-ounce (half gallon) jug of latte mix.
Allaine Event Rentals added an arc of white balloons outside the entrance of Philter in celebration of its reopening. Folks can now walk inside and order coffee.
However much has changed, all the tables where people once sat are relocated inside the coffee shop for other uses, such as to showcase merchandise. Now, when patrons walk inside, the work of local artists fill up space along the right wall of the venue.
Thompson said he reached out to artist friends March 18 to see how everyone was doing. He soon began to feature their work on the Philter website, and now people can walk inside and buy these items in-person, from hand-painted baseball hats to artisan coffee mugs.
When the business first shut down, Thompson immediately reduced the energy footprint at Philter by shutting down access equipment. He also donated 50 gallons of milk to a local food pantry.
Thompson met Heather Thompson, who grew up in West Chester, in 2006. He was working at a coffee shop in Philadelphia.
Thompson, originally from Philadelphia, found the space in Kennett Square in July 2013. On Dec. 9 of that year, Philter opened to the public.
One woman on Thursday described Philter as “phenomenal.
Mimi Stauffer, of Kennett Square, stopped by about 3 p.m. hoping to grab some food. Although people can now walk in to buy coffee and products, food service has yet to resume.
Philter now closes at 2 p.m. Thursdays.
“We’ve really missed you,” Stauffer said to Thompso,n who was sitting outside by the front door at 111 W. State St. “Thank you for persevering — and — just being here. It is a blessing to be able to reopen.”