Blanco County business owners, already a hard-working bunch, have been working even harder to adapt and overcome challenges while the coronavirus continues to affect the local economy.

“At a time of year when Blanco is normally welcoming a lot of visitors, it’s frustrating for our members that were undoubtedly looking forward to a prosperous season,” said Libbey Aly, Blanco Chamber of Commerce executive director. “Everyone did an amazing job of making adjustments, and quickly, to continue to serve our community safely.”

Aly said that small shops have had the hardest time.

“They had no good way to continue to sell when folks weren’t able to come into the store.”

Still, she’s seen businesses pivoting to comply with regulations.

“It’s been impressive to see how our restaurants quickly ramped up their ability to take orders remotely and safely deliver curbside.”

Last Friday, many businesses countywide were able to open at 25 percent capacity while still maintaining social distancing and adhering to other guidelines issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The governor’s order means that retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls were able to open on May 1. Barbershops, hair salons, bars and gyms could open on May 18 if state officials obtain two weeks of data that shows no flare-up of COVID-19.

“Some of our restaurants don’t plan to open the doors to dine-in visitors (on May 1), and have decided to keep with curbside and carry-out until later in the month. For them, it’s just too soon to change a system that’s working well, only to have to change things up again in a couple of weeks.”

Aly predicted that retail establishments might have an easier time with the occupancy restrictions.

“I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to welcome shoppers back into their stores.”

The best way to help is to shop locally.

“Call in that to-go order, purchase online or over the phone and buy gift cards,” she said. “If you’re able, donate to local nonprofits like the Blanco Good Samaritan Center or Gem of the Hills.”

Social distancing, wearing a mask and maintaining good hygiene are still recommended.

“Be smart and tread lightly. It’s the best way to help our businesses in the long run. We need to take it slow and steady. For us to really get back to normal, we must continue to keep our case count low; for that to happen, we have to continue being careful and mindful.”

As of April 29, Blanco County has had six confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 17 “likely” cases. Nine people have recovered so far, according to Blanco County Emergency Management.

Ups and downs

For one full-service hat shop in Blanco, the coronavirus has presented its ups and downs.

“It’s uncharted territory,” said Kay Maynard, owner of Herb’s Hat Shop in Blanco, which has a branch in San Antonio. “We had a busy week after not being open since mid-March.”

But they haven’t been lounging around.

“We’ve been staying busy getting hats sorted out,” Maynard said.

It’s right in the middle of the annual transition to “straw hat season,” after all.

“We’ve had lots of people calling to ask when we’re going to be open. But people are still feeling cautious, so our number-one goal is to provide exceptional customer service.”

“Herb’s-side pick-up” started in late April.

“We had an incredible showing of longtime, loyal customers who came in to say, ‘Hey, we’re with ya,’” Maynard said. “It worked well for hat people, who already know their size and how they want it shaped.”

Herb’s Hat Shop opened in San Antonio 41 years ago. The Maynards bought that location in 2016 and the Blanco branch about a year and a half ago.

“We’ve put our heart, soul and money into it,” Maynard said. “We’ve tried to put it back on the map as the hat destination. This is Texas, where a hat is a way to express your individuality. It means a lot to people.”

Herb’s Hat Shop has been able to keep all of its employees but has had to cut hours.

“This business doesn’t lend itself to work from home,” Maynard said. “We’re looking at this as a pause and we’ll be able to pick up where we left off. One employee has been with us for 41 years.”

Maynard didn’t know what the new normal is going to be.

“I’m not sure we’ll know what the ramifications are until we really get going.”

She knows it might be awhile for some folks to get comfortable shopping in-person again, which is why they have been ramping up their website, catalog and social media presence.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this before but we do things the cowboy way. We’re working through the ebbs and flows.”

COVID-19 changes at local pharmacy

One local pharmacy has had a slump in sales because of the coronavirus, but it’s been able to adapt to the changing circumstances.

“We’ve created some gift and supplement packs for our customers to easily purchase curbside, which has helped. We’re putting together wellness packs and Mother’s Day gift packs for people to easily choose from,” said Siobhan Atchley, pharmacist and owner of Blanco Pharmacy & Wellness. “We’ve been able to keep all our employees and have kept their hours close to what they had been.”

They’ve even had to add a couple of employees to handle the influx of calls and curbside orders.

Atchley plans to keep the business going using curbside and delivery through the end of the month.

“We plan to open up in June, limiting the number of customers inside the store and asking people who have a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms not to come into the store, but to use curbside or delivery. We plan to keep our curbside going even after the doors are back open, indefinitely. It’s our version of a drive-through, but with a little more personalized service.”

And they still find time to give back to the community by making hand sanitizer and helping a local whiskey distillery make the valuable substance.

“We’re coordinating with Real Ale to get two large orders of hand sanitizer to a hospital in Austin,” she said. “We donated hand sanitizer to the Blanco Police Department. It’s a good feeling to help our community.”

It’s been a time of learning for almost everyone.

“I’ve learned to think outside of the box,” Atchley said. “The health and safety of our staff and customers is first, so we’re always thinking about how to keep our business going with all of these restrictions. It’s been a challenge.”

She expects the virus to hang around to some extent through the summer.

“It possibly could come back in the fall when the flu season could also become a problem. I pray this isn’t the case.”