Wednesday was another busy day for Cold Harbor Seafood & Market in Enfield, but things have changed quite a bit. A line now forms outside, with only two customers are allowed in at a time, and hand sanitizer is a must. An employee stands outside the door spraying a customer's hands to sanitize them before they can enter.
Inside, staff wear masks and change gloves even more than usual. A partition separates people at checkout and credit cards get a good clean. They've closed their grill to keep that social distance among employees and instead are offering heat-at-home versions. They've also implemented a curbside pickup, and staff agreed to self-quarantine when they're not at work to stay healthy.
For the majority of customers, it's a welcome sight.
"Everything is sanitized and covered, so I actually feel safer in there than the grocery store," said customer Danielle Cormier.
But not every shopper agreed which is what led to a Facebook post by one of the owners. It let the few customers who give staff a hard time about the safety measures know they can go elsewhere.
"We want everyone that comes into our store to be safe. We want our customers safe. We want us to be safe. You got to do it our way," said Cold Harbor Seafood & Market owner Joe Lanzieri.
With that out of the way, owners Joe and Luann Lanzieri prefer to focus on the positive. They say the bad pales in comparison to the overwhelming support from customers who visit their fresh fish market on Taylor Road. Recently, Luann says a veteran turned down the military discount.
"He said, 'I want to support you. You're a small business. I'm hoping you guys can remain open, and I don't want you to give me the discount.' And it actually made me very emotional," said Luann.
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Another customer bought a gift certificate and told them to use it to give discounts to shoppers in need.
During a tough time for everyone, that's the good they're holding on to.
