WeLoveLocal

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 4 distant era? It’s a whole new thing.” Here’s how that whole new thing looks at Sweet Mickey’s today: • Distancing measures are in place, including candy-themed floor stickers and crowd-dis- tancing ropes to keep customers from pressing too close to the staff and the glass display cases. (The original ropes were black velvet, but Brinker substituted a gumdrop theme.) • House-made fudge is brought from the kitchen in prewrapped portions. • A wall of self-serve bulk candies has been largely replaced with packaged sweets. Brinker now keeps scoops, gloves and candy bags behind the counter for customers who wish to buy in bulk. • The hand-sanitizer units on the wall are supplemented by a new touch-free unit mounted SHOP LOCAL By Al Kemp Special to We Love Local When Randy Brinker reopened Sweet Mickey’s Candy Shoppe at 4 p.m., June 11, it was a happy reunion with customers he had not seen in 88 days. “The people were so glad to see the doors open again; kids were literally jumping in the air,” said Brinker, proprietor of the Ballard candy store for nearly a decade. Brinker learned he would have to shut down his store on March 16 — a date that’s easy for him to remember since it was exactly a year to the day from when he relocated the business to Ballard Avenue from its old home a few blocks west. When he got the news, Sweet Mickey’s had just received a large Easter shipment, much of which Brinker distributed via home delivery before he started giving away his remaining inventory to friends and charities. As the lockdown stretched into April and then May, he remem- bers sitting in his darkened shop while curious neighbors wan- dered the deserted street taking pictures of the boarded-up shops, murals and graffiti. A few online orders each week helped keep Sweet Mickey’s on life support. All Brinker could do was watch for hopeful signs and wait for a chance to reopen. “I’d go to sleep thinking about it, and wake up thinking about it,” he said. “I’m not in this just to sell a bag of gummies. My store is more the experience, and a lot of interaction with the public, but how do you do that in a socially Continued on next page COURTESY OF AL KEMP Randy Brinker reopened Sweet Mickey’s Candy Shoppe in Ballard with enhanced safety measures after being closed for 88 days. Businesses adjust, regroup to stay in operation