Minnesota retailers were permitted to open their doors to the public for the first time Monday at 50 percent capacity as the stay at home order officially lifted.
Some chose to remain closed, but the Southdale Mall’s Gamerheadz owner Tony Dear, who had been getting by by selling games on eBay, was excited to return to work.
He showed up under the mall’s new limited hours and soon realized not only was there no foot traffic early, he was one of the only businesses open in the entire mall.
“Down my hallway it was real shadowy and dark,” Dear said before close. “Our wing of the mall, really, I was the only one open. I didn’t see anyone else open, so that changed any optimistic perceptions I had at that moment.”
He arrived thinking it would feel, well, normal, or close to it with stores opening under limited capacity and taking safety precautions to protect workers and customers. His optimism sank when he saw the scene of closed storefronts. A nearby kiosk closed down after a few hours due to little business.
“I felt a little bit, like, overwhelmed and afraid because I just thought, ‘Damn, this economy is not going to pick back up,’” Dear said. “There’s no one here! There’s no one here.”
The day picked up after that with some loyal customers coming with purchases that “saved my day.” Being the only one open near his store has its perks.
“After that it was pretty consistent as far as gamers,” Dear said. “Otherwise I didn’t see anyone in here doing any other shopping. I’ve seen a lot of people curious to know what kind of foot traffic was in the mall. They wanted to see what I wanted to see. There’s a lot of curiosity.”
Dear, who said he was not able to secure a small business loan, is not bringing on any staff for “at least a week or two.” For most, Gamerheadz is not their only employment, but one has been anxious to get hours back.
“I don’t want to pay you guys if there’s no one here,” Dear said he told his staff. “Most of my staff has been understanding about it. It saves me overhead.”
Even taking on all open hours he’s looking forward to the week ahead.
“I really don’t mind it at all. I’m just happy to be out of my house."
