Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs, right, stopped by Lavish Boutique Thursday evening to visit with store co-owner Dustin Beaty as shops along First Avenue welcomed customers back for the first time in weeks. Pictured at center is Jacobs' daughter, Hannah.

It wasn’t the kind of crowd you’d expect to see during an event like 2nd Fridays, or even the kind of crowd that First Avenue sees on a typically busy day. But stores in Cullman’s Warehouse District that haven’t greeted the public in weeks joined with others across town in opening as soon as they could Thursday evening to let customers know they’re welcome back.

The soft reopening of local businesses; stores previously shuttered by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s public health order to diminish the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, came with a healthy measure of effort to comply with the governor’s remaining order to keep things socially distant. There was plenty of hand sanitizer, door signage noting the maximum capacity allowed inside at once, and help from employees for customers looking for a place to stand to keep their six-foot distance.

Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs came out with his family for the event, stopping by stores up and down the block to chat with owners relieved at the chance to finally be in business again. 

“I think Cullman has handled things well, and thankfully, we haven’t faced quite the kind of public health threat that bigger, denser cities have faced,” he said. “I feel confident that our businesses and our residents are going to keep practicing safe distancing, and hopefully we’ll begin to see more places come back strong as this thing passes.”

In the current phase of the governor’s plan, dining rooms at eat-in restaurants remain closed, with only take-out and delivery services permitted. Retailers formerly deemed “nonessential” under the more strict shutdown, however, will continue to be open for business in the wake of Thursday’s restart.