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Managers Ryan Harris (left) and Michael Gillert (right) inside Shields Market have adopted measures to keep themselves and customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo courtesy Shields Market)
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A plexiglass barrier has been installed at the market's cash register. (Photo courtesy Shields Market)
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River City Market, located at 16 W. Brookland Park Blvd., is offering online shopping and delivery options. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Richmond-area food markets are offering both convenience and peace of mind for their neighbors during this time of social distancing. Venturing to the grocery store has become daunting for many, making the walk outside and around the corner to a neighborhood market a much more appealing option.
The owners of Joe’s Inn acquired the storefront at 205 N. Shields Ave. in 2008, primarily to use as a pickup spot for the restaurant’s takeout orders. Since then, Shields Market has grown into a fully operational stand-alone store that is frequented by Fan residents like Kara Kuhn.
Kuhn, her husband and their 2-year-old daughter are relatively new to Richmond, but Shields quickly became their go-to spot for small grocery runs, wine purchases and ice cream outings. Immunocompromised due to Type 1 diabetes, Kuhn has avoided large grocery stores during the COVID-19 pandemic. While her husband does the larger supermarket runs for the family, Kuhn says she feels most comfortable shopping at Shields and appreciates the precautions that the business is taking to help customers feel safe.
“It’s a lifesaver because, to me, it’s still very scary to go to larger grocery stores,” she says. “It’s comforting knowing that we can go there if we need anything and we don’t have to venture out.”
The precautions put in place at Shields Market due to COVID-19 have also been crucial for employee peace of mind, according to Tina Kafantaris, owner and manager of the store since 2011. She says the decision to keep Shields open was a scary one, but it was left entirely in the hands of her employees, all of whom opted to continue working.
Kafantaris encouraged her staff to decide what they needed to have in order to feel safe in the space. Employees installed a plexiglass shield at the register and are wearing both masks and gloves. They’re also enforcing a four-person capacity limit and requiring that customers use hand sanitizer provided at a station in the front of the store.
At River City Market on West Brookland Park Boulevard, store manager Zatima Brown says she sources nearly all of her products from Richmond and the surrounding counties. She debuted the storefront in May 2019, her shelves stocked with fresh produce, Twin Oaks tofu, poultry, and local products such as Agriberry Farms jam and skin care items. With Brookland Park considered a food desert, lacking a full-fledged grocery store within walking distance, Brown saw an opportunity to serve the neighborhood where she has lived for years.
As the COVID-19 crisis set in, Brown implemented a swath of new safety protocols, including a shield at the register, a hand-washing station at the door and a customer capacity limit. Her staff made sure the market could keep operating seven days a week.
“We worked together, and everyone took over shifts to make sure that the store continued to stay open because we know that the area relies heavily on us,” Brown says.
Her customers tell her that they are shopping at River City Market to avoid the lines at large grocery chains and because they feel more comfortable shopping in her space, where there are usually only a few customers in the store at a time.
In the midst of a global pandemic, both Kafantaris and Brown feel that what they are providing to their communities is more than pantry staples.
Brown says she’s encouraged by the customers who express their appreciation for her business.
“I know that being local and being right there for them has a great impact,” she says. “I’m certain of it.”
Similarly, Kafantaris says she thinks Shields Market is providing a sense of normalcy that allows people to continue shopping at their corner stores and to continue seeing people they know.
“Just being there and showing up has really mattered,” Kafantaris says. “We feel it is incumbent upon us to provide that neighborhood stability. We feel like we have to weather this storm, because if we set the example that we’re going to make it, then I feel like the people around us will feel that way.”
