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Over the past several months, those who wanted to see the Liberty Bell in person had to do so by looking through the side window of the building.
Jay Lodaya owns a souvenir shop on Third Street near Arch Street and says many stores in Old City are barely making it financially because of a lack of tourists.
Many, in fact, are closing.
“Three stores last week just closed,” Lodaya explained.
In addition to T-shirts, mugs and keychains, he had to start selling COVID-19 safety items to make a couple of bucks.
“My business is souvenirs, but I’m selling the masks and hand sanitizer,” said Lodaya.
He even sells bleach now.
“I’m trying, I need every penny to help, you know.”
He says he will hopefully stay open for another year and assess things then.
Businesses in the area were hit with a double whammy in the start of 2020: A water main break caused street closures for weeks. Once repairs were made, the pandemic struck.
Many attractions in the area, like the Betsy Ross House, are also working on getting visitors to return to the historic district this fall by adding evening programming.