MONROE — March of 2020 was the beginning of the worst economic crisis the world has seen since the World Wars and Great Depression. Over 22.362 million people in the US were out of work. The entire economy had to come to a screeching halt as the world waited to outlast COVID-19. All were in fear of what was to come.
Green County was no exception. Local restaurants and shops were closed for upwards of two months. During which time, many decided to remodel or create new ways to imagine their products. Others were invested in by local community members.
Danette Williams purchased Cash’s Old Smokey’s, which is now called Nett’s Place. Sir Buk’s was sold and renamed The Warehouse. The Bull Pen in Browntown is now Ol’ Grizzly. Marty’s Village Inn South Wayne was sold. The former Junction House is now Bennett’s Junction House. The Dilly Bean’s owner retired in September. After the owner passed away during the pandemic, volunteers began to run the Monroe Antique Mall.
This is nothing new to the buildings on Monroe’s Square. Many date back to late the 19th century with notes of Victorian decoration and design. The contents within each change quite often.
Local historian Matt Figi affectionately refers to them as the “musical square”.
“Much like musical chairs, they are always moving in and out,” Figi said. “New stores decide the opposite side of the square is better for them. Then move back.”
The stores have been relatively stable during the pandemic.
“We have been fortunate in the fact we haven’t lost any businesses,” Jordan Nordby of Monroe Main Street said. “Reduced hours, small changes here and there but overall, I think we’ve been very resilient.”
Monroe Main Street has been working to create community engagement even when the community couldn’t be together. The group still played music from the courthouse and created the summer theme which was on display for all to see. They also created live streams on Facebook for local stores to speak directly to their customers.
Heartland Graphics, a screen printing and embroidery design store, participated in the livestreams to help customers feel like they were in the store.
“It was great,” owner Tracy Hamilton said. “Monroe Main Street and a lot of the other businesses kind of banded together. We really began to promote each other.”
Heartland Graphics shifted from making baseball t-shirts to making personalized masks and lawn signs. The store, previously owned by Keith Stoker, has been managed by Tracy and Pam Hamilton for 26 years. When the pandemic began, their prospects were limited.
“We had to reinvent ourselves and the way we attract people,” Tracy Hamilton said. “Our business really thrives on schools, school sports and events. By taking two of those three out of the ratio, it really was quite a year.”
Another local downtown shop, Zodica Perfumery chose to focus more on expanding its already existing global market. The store has shipped all over the world, largely England.
“It’s been hard,” said Christi Moe, owner of Zodica Perfumery. “People want to smell the perfume and you can’t do that online. You need to be in person. We worked on trying to build ways to connect people to our homemade products.”
Restaurants such as the Suisse Haus experimented with delivery, which it continues to this day. Friends posted all over Facebook trying to get New Chopsticks to reopen. Several businesses continue to have limited hours, including Northside Pub and Grill. Pancho & Lefty’s has considered switching to a food truck in order to make things more manageable.
The global power of Baumgartner’s helped the store progress through the closed time.
“We’ve always had a very nice global customer base,” Baumgartner’s owner Chris Soukup said. “Our established reputation has been very nice in keeping us afloat.”
The business, which opened in 1931, is the state’s oldest cheese store and has seen its share of several recessions and depressions. Though the owners have changed, it still maintains its original family values. In order to protect themselves and their customers, Baumgartner’s followed the CDC guidelines very carefully. In total the store spent four months closed, two months with only outdoor seating, and six months of seating at only 50% of capacity.
Baumgartner’s has since been approved to keep outdoor seating and will continue to have hosts outdoors to greet guests.
“Now that we are getting back to normal, we hope our store will help others,” Soukup said. “When people visit from far away, they usually wander and check out other local areas as well.”
As with most towns, local shopping has been the key to success during the time.
From August 6-9, another opportunity to support local businesses, Maxwell Street days, is beginning. The event, which has run for more than 40 years, has sprouted growth within the community and local stores since its inception. Now more than ever it is a welcomed sight to behold.
“The community is great,” Hamilton said. “The support from everyone is fantastic, customers and fellow business owners alike. We are all in this together.”
