THOMASVILLE — With schools out all over the state, it should be a good time to run a toy store.

“It was up until (last) Saturday,” said Anna Lee, store manager at the Imagination Emporium.

That’s when Lee said business at her store started to drop off dramatically. With people all over the country beginning to shut themselves into their homes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and new terms like “social distancing” entering the popular lexicon, potential customers simply aren’t walking into stores.

That means merchants in Thomasville are having to be creative in finding ways to serve their customers safely.

“While we don’t have an exact number, we do know that several businesses have either changed their hours or their manner of delivering services, i.e., restaurants are offering curbside pickup or businesses are shipping products directly to customers,” said Lynn Williams, executive director of economic development for the City of Thomasville.

Lee said she’s been trying to keep her business going by reaching out on social media to let locals know her store has plenty of toys to keep kids busy while they’re stuck at home. Most of the toys at the Imagination Emporium are educational, and they also carry arts and crafts, puzzles, board games, books and outdoor toys.

“We’re just trying to push back and let people know that we have those things here,” Lee said.

Though she’s getting good engagement on those social media posts, Lee said it’s not translating into business.

“I’ve had one customer today,” she said Wednesday. “Foot traffic has definitely dropped tremendously.”

Lee is also taking efforts to disinfect the store at the beginning and end of the day and is using hand sanitizer after each monetary transaction. Hours at the store haven’t been altered yet, and Lee said she wants to at least keep a regular schedule through the end of the week to gauge in-store traffic before determining what she wants to do moving forward. If business doesn’t pick up, Lee said she could eventually reduce hours or be open on less days during the week.

“We’re just making decisions on a day-by-day basis on what to do,” she said. “It’s based on what the government is telling us to do and what doctors are recommending.”

Though Williams doesn’t have an exact number of how many businesses have altered their hours, she does know it’s an ongoing practice. Some businesses are also offering curbside services in order to stay open, and the City of Thomasville’s Main Street Office has designated curbside pickup areas in blocks throughout the city for customers to pull up to stores to pick up orders. 

While the Imagination Emporium doesn’t currently offer curbside service, Lee wants her customers to know that they can call ahead to place orders and pick up their items with minimal time inside the building.

Lee considers herself lucky that she only has a single part-time employee. That means if hours do get cut back, the effects will be minimized.

While there currently isn’t access to data measuring how many employees could wind up being affected by changes in their work schedules, Williams said there’s concern any time a business closes or reduces hours.

“Any time economic is either reduced or increased, there is a ripple effect across the economy,” she said. “The situation we are facing is unprecedented, but we are seeing many resources from various organizations throughout the community that are working to support our local businesses during this time.”