GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) — Local 5 took a stroll down Green Bay’s Broadway Street Tuesday morning, in search of an open store.
An “Open” sign was on display in the window of Wedding Day Dress for Less, where owner Bobbie Schroeder awaited brides who had set up appointments for her first day back open.
“I kind of forgot what I’m supposed to be doing here, it’s been so long,” she joked.
The bridal boutique is a one-woman operation, which means Schroeder had a lot of work to do before re-opening.
“It was about four hours of rescheduling, booking, we had brought in almost 200 extra dresses in order to get the store fully stocked,” she said.
Less than 24 hours after the dial was turned back, Schroeder is back open with appointments set, and a new policy in place for the five customers at a time restriction.
“I’m letting them all know that we’ll have the bride plus four guests that they can bring along with them,” she explained.
But up and down the street, other shops are still closed.
“Small town, main street businesses are so important,” Schroeder said.
Over in Ashwaubenon, The Heel Shoe Fitters has yet to open.
“It’s not quite as easy as just turning on the lights and opening the doors,” Store Owner Troy Dempsey said.
The shoe store is planning for a Monday re-opening, by appointment only.
“We’ve grown into more of a medium to larger sized business with over 42 employees so it’s a bit more of a challenge for us to go from operating one way to suddenly operating totally differently the next day,” Dempsey
As a larger operation with more moving parts, Dempsey explained that the shoe store is taking time to work out a new plan.
“Working through all the details, our signage, our social media, how we lay things out in the store,” he said.
Their customers are ready to get back in the store.
“Right away when the order came through, we’ve been taking phone calls left and right about ‘are you open?’,” Dempsey said.
Back on Broadway, Schroeder is ready for the rest of the shops along the street to open.
“The foot traffic that other stores bring in, the Farmers’ Market that even if they’re not making an appointment right away, they’ll remember that I’m down here,” she said.
