As Thornes Marketplace Reopens, Foot Traffic Returns

 In Client Press Releases

Protocols are outlined, and store owners reinvent themselves

NORTHAMPTON—Sharon Cohen, the owner of Footbeats for Women on the main level of Thornes Marketplace, will enter her fourth year in business on July 1. It’s a difficult time, but like all merchants in the eclectic shopping center, Cohen’s working hard to reach customers and ensure their safety.

Thornes reopened for business on June 8 after putting many new protocols and equipment in place, including air filters that heighten air quality, foggers that sanitize the building nightly, and door monitors at each of the two open entrances to ensure that people entering Thornes wear masks and sanitize their hands. Thornes also installed hands-free door openers on bathroom doors. 

Without college students and tourists from out of town, business is slower than is typical for this time of year, but customers are returning steadily. Shops owners such as Cohen, who have also instituted countless safety measures, are happy to see them.

“We’ve revamped the way the store is laid out to promote social distancing,” Cohen said. “Shoppers are saying, ‘I just wanted to shop with somebody locally.’ We’re hearing a lot of that. I think that’s awesome.”

After Thornes—and most retail and other industries statewide—were shut down this spring due to COVID-19, Cohen launched a website at footbeatsforwomen.com, so customers could still purchase her shoes. She made deliveries to peoples’ homes.

Every Friday afternoon, she also began using Facebook live to talk about shoes in stock and offer commentary on trends and new styles. “I pick them off the displays on the wall and talk about them. Customers would text and ask questions about cost or size,” she said, noting she will likely continue that practice. “We tried new, inventive ways to meet the customers.”

Cohen also said when customers try on a pair of shoes in the store, if they are leather and cannot be sanitized, they are put in quarantine for 24 hours, as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) guidelines. 

Thornes itself has the safety of shoppers, store owners, and staff at the forefront as it expands and flexes systems and operations.

“Thornes has done a lot to prepare for our opening, and we continue to stay educated and follow safety protocols,” Thornes Co-President Richard Madowitz said. “We are receiving consistent positive feedback from shoppers on the cleanliness of the building and their comfort. We are providing a safe environment.” 

He added, “We have installed iWave ionizing air filters in all AC air handlers in the building to ensure high air quality, and we’ve purchased foggers that allow us to do extensive sanitizing overnight, while we are closed.”

Masks are available at the two open entrances, which are on Main Street and at the skywalk to and from the parking garage. “Masks are not required for those with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing one,” Madowitz added.

All shared tables and chairs on the building’s second and third floors, such as Share Coffee’s seating, have been removed, and directional arrows on the floors separate traffic and promote social distancing, as do stanchions throughout.

“Signage is everywhere,” Madowitz stressed. “Each store is managing its state-mandated capacity count, and Thornes itself is managing the state-mandated capacity counts for its common spaces without shops.”

Every morning before work, all Thornes staff follow CDCP protocols, running through a COVID-19 readiness checklist before reporting for work. 

Beginning this week, all shops in Thornes will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All merchants must also open on a fifth day of their choice. Many stores are open daily, including Cedar Chest, Rebekah Brooks, Share Coffee, Booklink Booksellers, Footbeats for Women, Jackson & Connor, ASSEMBLE, Captain Candy, and Herrell’s Ice Cream.

Check thornesmarketplace.com for specifics on other stores, or visit individual shop websites or social media channels.

Parking downtown is free through July 1. Thornes will be closed July 4 and 5. Madowitz said, “We have historically been closed on July 4, and we’ve added a closing on July 5, given that the holiday falls on a Saturday this year, and we have limited hours on Sunday.”

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

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