As restrictions ease and many Bay Area businesses prepare to reopen, most are scrambling to make critical changes needed in this new normal. That’s created a big demand for partitions and signs.
Authentic Imprints in San Jose has been focused on making signs that instruct customers at businesses to follow new coronavirus-related rules. The company has also been busy creating floor graphics designed to keep people six feet apart. But there is one specific sign that’s been the most important to businesses trying to stay alive.
“The most requested [orders] are banners that people can hang out in front of their businesses to let people know that they're still open or they're open now,” Authentic Imprints owner Andrew Scicluna said.
Signs aren’t the only items in demand. Tap Plastics in San Jose is getting about 1,000 emails and phone calls per day from people wanting to order plastic partitions.
“I never though I’d ever sell this much plastic in my life," Tap Plastics manager Jeff Mullen said.
Tap Plastics created plexiglass partitions for Stuft Pizza in Milpitas and is making dozens more for other South Bay restaurants preparing to socially distance diners. But that’s not all.
“Right now, we've been dealing with a lot of hospitals," Mullen said.
But even these in-demand services are feeling the pain brought on by the pandemic.
“All the work that we used to do was trade show business and schools and business to business," Scicluna said. "Now, with all that shut down, we’re just hanging on.”
Scicluna is hoping when more businesses reopen, there will be signs of a brighter future.
