Phoenixville Businesses Prepare for Green Phase: What to Expect

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — The green phase of coronavirus mitigation is finally here in Chester County, and Phoenixville's powerful local economy is starting to hum once again. On Friday, June 26, Chester County will move into the green phase along with the rest of southeastern Pennsylvania, the most lax phase of Gov. Wolf's reopening plan.

For the first time since the pandemic brought the region and much of the world to a grinding halt in mid-March, indoor dining and drinking, barbershops, gyms, and more are allowed to open.

Green phase does not mean business as usual, however, officials are quick to remind the public. Coronavirus cases have steeply dropped around southeastern Pennsylvania and specifically in Chester County, which has seen just 68 new cases since June 18. But the threat of the virus remains, and all businesses must continue to abide by the state Department of Health's guidance for operating in the COVID-19 disaster emergency.

"While green means go, in this instance, green is not the all clear to go quickly," Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said. "We must proceed with caution. For businesses and employers, the green phase will look similar to the yellow phase, with some relaxation of restrictions."

The borough will continue to shut down stretches of Bridge Street from Thursday through Sunday to accomodate outdoor dining and shopping on the sidewalks and street. Whether indoors or out, customers must wear masks unless they are seated at their table.

The closures are in place from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. each Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays through Sundays. No vehicular traffic is allowed on Bridge from Starr Street down to Gay Street, while Main Street remains open. The Main and Bridge parking lot is also shut down.

One of the biggest changes from yellow to green is that restaurants and bars are permitted to open up to 50 percent capacity. In Phoenixville, what this will look like will vary based on the establishment.

"Besides a dozen barstools inside things are basically the same for us as the past few weeks," John Sakos, executive chef at Great American Pub, told Patch.

Great American's large outdoor areas will remain open, while its bar areas and small dining rooms downstairs with open doors will also open up at 50 percent capacity. Bathrooms will be sanitized every 30 minutes. All tables will have at least six feet between them, and all meals will be served on disposable plates and with disposable utensils.

Sakos was optimistic that the restaurant could safely, slowly expand its offerings. Employees routintely have their temperatures checked.

"We continue to strive towards peace and prosperity," he said.

Just down Bridge Street, one of the borough's newest eateries, Avlos Greek Cuisine, is taking a slightly more conservative tactic.

On Friday, they're opening the front portion of the inside of their restaurant to 25 percent of capacity. Eventually, they plan on moving that to the maximum allowed of 50 percent capacity, over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, "we will focus on serving our customers outside in our outdoor space," manager Katerina Skartsila said.

Drinking is allowed outdoors within designated open container areas on Bridge Street. The borough has published this open container map laying out the details:

The green phase also means that other sorts of gatherings are allowed, including concerts. Steel City Coffeehouse said that their popular weekly open mic night will resume on Thursday, July 2. Their first concert since the outbreak began will be Wake Up John on Saturday, July 11.

"This will be our first show since early March, so it will be a free event," co-owner Laura Vernola told Patch. "We've been reaching out to community sponsors for shows which allows us to pay the band and not stress about the overhead on a show night."

Vernola said that Steel City is expanding their hours in the green phase. They're now open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

They're also moving to seating their indoor tables up to 50 percent occupancy. Occupancy will constantly monitored, and all tables will be six feet apart. At peak hours, customers will be permitted to stay at their table for 45 minutes after their food arrives.

Vernola was hopeful that the borough would continue to keep Bridge Street closed through the near future.

"This is good news for all of our residents and local businesses," Maxwell said. "Chester County residents have all done their part."

Area barbershops, which were not permitted to open in even a limited capacity in the yellow phase, are scrambling to prepare for their reopening Friday. Lox Barbershop on Gay Street was undergoing a deep clean over the past week. And faced with a large number of appointment requests, most salons urged customers to book online.

The Phoenixville YMCA has announced that they are opening to the public on Monday, June 29, at 5 a.m. Their outdoor pool will open on July 3, with numerous health restrictions in place.

For other local businesses, the green phase does not have as significant of an impact. Buds, a pet service operation based on Church Street, said they were continuing with their precautions.

"Our team members wear masks while inside clients' homes, shoes are removed prior to home entry and hand sanitization occurs before and after all visits," owner Shaunna Bowlby told Patch. "We continue to carefully maintain balance between the loving, personal care that our clients expect and the safety of our clients and staff."

Some smaller businesses have determined, independently, that they cannot safely reopen. Among them is Soltane Cafe.

“Unfortunately, we are not sure when that time (to reopen) will come. Our first commitment is to the health and safety of our staff and customers, and based on the size of our cafe space and the current state of the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot safely reopen at this time.”

A spokesperson for the cafe said that they hoped to have more concrete information on a potential opening by the end of July.

As of late Wednesday, Phoenixville has 169 cases and 21 deaths due to coronavirus since the outbreak began.

Our Way Forward: See more stories about Pennsylvania's coronavirus recovery