LIBERTY, Mo. — Some non-essential businesses opened their doors for the first time in weeks Monday.
The businesses in parts of the KC Metro that are allowed to open have a strict list of rules to follow, and even though they have the green light, not all businesses are opening right away.
Over Flow Coffee House in Liberty opened for the first time in five weeks Monday.
Co-owner Christy Sharp said she and her husband wanted to get back to business so they could bring joy to the community and get their employees back to work.
Sharp said reopening the shop was not a decision they made lightly.
"We thought about it a lot. We prayed about it. We considered all the options," Sharp said. "We just felt a peace about it that this was the time, especially because we honestly don't know how long this phase is going to last."
Sharp said the business is closely following all the guidelines laid out by Clay County, which include employees wearing masks and gloves, only having 25 percent of the business' capacity in at a time, and keeping customers six feet apart.
The business is only doing to-go orders currently to avoid too many people inside at once. Sharp said Monday's reopening brought a steady flow of customers, such as Liberty resident Rachel Ibok.
"I was so excited, I made a point to remember what day it was that they were opening so I could make sure to come over," Ibok said.
Not all businesses are opening right away. Shawn Barber, co-founder of Conrad's Restaurant and Alehouse, said his business is waiting to see how the next few weeks go before reopening.
"We feel like the safety of our community and our staff is the most and the biggest priority we have, and we're not completely sure that we have enough data in front of us to make a decision," Barber said.
Barber said the restaurant has been doing curbside service and will continue to do so. He said he's keeping his customers in the forefront of his decision-making.
"Thinking of their safety is extremely important to us. They're the people that we've grown up with," Barber said.
Barber said the restaurant industry is about to look a lot different and figuring out how to navigate it is going to take some time.
—
