The city of Solvang has been trying to give tasting rooms and other small businesses a fighting chance by offering microloans of $5,000 to anyone with a corporate license, paid out through the city’s general reserve fund. And with many anticipating a mid-May partial reopening, the city is even considering a rejiggering of its colorful downtown area, complete with a pedestrian-only main drag to better allow for physical distancing.
Employees will be kitted out with personal protective equipment, and customers can rotate through the various businesses in a safe, slow wave. There could even be a move to allow more outdoor dining and parklets over the following months as restaurants continue to come back online with reduced capacity.