TAMPA, Fla. -- For Nicolette Schouten, not seeing her customers for the last week and a half has been tough.
- Colette's Fashions working to reopen
- Owner plans to disinfect shop, dressing rooms, & clothing
- Hopes to be able to allow few customers in at a time
“I’ll keep in touch with my customers by emailing them constantly with little videos. I actually taped a fashion show which I’ll be putting out this weekend. And just calling them and seeing how they’re doing,” said Schouten.
But she knew when the coronavirus become more of a danger in our area, she had no choice but to close the doors of her store, Colette’s Fashions.
The decision came easily, but the impact has been anything but.
“Obviously I don’t have an income. A shop costs you every single day. It’s not like I’m at zero no salary, I’m at overhead every day,” said Schouten.
Times are tough, so she’s using the time to rearrange the store with the hopes of opening for one or two customers at a time, in the safest way possible.
She says she plans to disinfect not just dressing rooms, but clothing too
“To be on the safe side, after they will try it on, I will probably hang it in another storage room, Febreeze it or Lysol that area, walk out of the room, and let it sit there for 24 hours,” said Schouten.
Dr. Deepa Verma with Synergistiq Integrative Health, says coronavirus can survive 24 hour on cardboard, and 72 hours on plastic.
On fabric, it’s not exactly clear how long it can survive, but she estimates the impact to be minimal.
“I think when we look at things like polyester versus cotton versus wool, there’s going to be differences and it’s probably minimal. I think at the end of the day, it can probably survive several hours up to a day,” said Dr. Verma.
But still, she says, it’s best to use precaution when touching any surface.
And as for Schouten, once things return to normal, she will offer her customers a treat for their endless support.
“People tend to stress shop and then having everything 40 percent off, I think I’ll be fine. I’ve been here 40 years,” said Schouten.
And she’s not going anywhere any time soon.