Though the current pandemic situation has hit us all hard in innumerable ways, perhaps some of us the most affected them are local Peachtree Corner business owners. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going! Here’s how our favorite local places have made the most of unprecedented times, squeezing life’s lemons for all the juice they’re worth.

Beautiful Lea and My Salon Suite Peachtree Corners — Hairstylist, Beauty Salon Suites

If you’ve seen a loved one give themselves a quarantine haircut gone wrong, then you have a newfound appreciation for your hairstylist. Lea Harwell of Beautiful Lea reopened her salon suite for business on March 24, along with several other beauty professionals that rent space in My Salon Suite Peachtree Corners.

Twenty-one beauty professionals work in the building, though not all reopened right away. Appointment times are scattered for safety; visitors also answer a health questionnaire and usually submit to a temperature check.

The State Board of Cosmetology already has high sanitation standards, but in addition, extra time is allotted between appointments to clean and properly disinfect surfaces. Harwell rearranged her limited space to reduce close contact, but even so she has to work twice as hard to see about half the normal daily clientele. Despite these challenges, she serves with a radiant smile behind that surgical mask.

“I’m not sure about the phrase ‘new normal’ but I consider this time a transition back to a more normal life and business environment. Getting back in the salon and helping my clients feel cared for is the part that makes me feel more normal,” Harwell said.

One huge help to Harwell and other small business owners that share My Salon Suite Peachtree Corners was the honorable decision of owners Tim and Marty Commons to waive all rent fees. The waiver includes the four weeks of the stay at home order, as well as the first two weeks that suite renters were permitted to reopen. This grace period comes out the goodness of the Commons’ hearts and their own pockets. Acts of kindness like this are commendable and show the strength of character on display in Peachtree Corners.

Innovative Smiles at the Forum

It may not seem like we have a lot to smile about right now, but our local dentists are making sure we keep our smiles healthy anyway. As an essential business, Innovative Smiles at the Forum has been open for emergency patients and essential doctor treatment. They remained emergency only through the month of May, but are open for routine dental practice starting the first week of June.

To stay afloat, support team employees had to be furloughed in March until recent weeks. It took a while for Innovative Smiles to receive federal assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program, but once the application went through on May 20, it allowed team members to come back to work.

All dentistry professionals must wear disposable gowns, a minimum Level 3 mask, and face shields while assisting patients. “With dentistry, we have always dealt with infections, bacterial or viral infections. So we have always had to use PPE, but we just have to take it to another level now,” Dr. Phillip Talley said.

To avoid patient backup, patients must call in to inform of their arrival and await confirmation by call or text before they can enter their designated suite. All patients must complete a health questionnaire prior to their appointment and submit to a touchless thermometer reading before entry. Non-contact payment is available online as well.

To keep the community safe, the patient volume will naturally have to decrease. So, patients, please be patient as you book your next cleaning.

Spalding Animal Hospital

Veterinary medicine falls under the category of essential service, so Spalding Animal Hospital has remained open throughout this tumultuous time. Yet the manner our furry friends receive vital care has gone through some major changes.

Ideally, it works best to have families in the exam room for the comfort of owner and patient, but prolonged exposure to others in an enclosed space isn’t wise. To accommodate this issue, curbside carpool service allows veterinary assistants to meet owners outside and then escort pets into the building.

Spalding Animal Hospital has a very adaptable approach, doing whatever they can safely do to make all their customers (human and animal) comfortable. For an anxious pet, a special visit in the outdoor play yards with their families may be necessary. If families insist on seeing the examination, the service can be performed in full view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. And to make pet care even easier, Spalding Animal Hospital offers free home deliveries of patient medications and prescription diets to all Peachtree Corners families.

“Many families are enjoying more time at home with pets as they juggle working from home and supervising school activities for their children. Having enjoyed months at home with their entire family, pets should slowly become acclimated to spending some time without their family members,” Dr. Paola Steyling, DVM said.

Stay tuned to Spalding Animal Hospital’s Facebook and Instagram Pages for advice on how to prepare your pets for the transition to a more regular schedule.

Anderby Brewing —Craft Spirits

The lively, vivacious social scene that is Anderby Brewing is still on tap, but it has had to slow to a trickle in recent months. The taproom and patio seating had been closed to guests since March 17, but reopened on May 22.

In the interim, the brewery has kept up the to-go sales of crowlers (32-oz. cans filled on demand with Anderby’s propriety draft lines) and refilling growlers (32-oz. or 64-oz. containers made of glass, steel or ceramic), as well as a small bottling operation. About 7,500 bottles of beer flowed to keep Anderby Brewing afloat in the past six weeks, and now it’s time to get back to what they do best: serving delicious craft beer.

“Visiting a brewery is a very social experience. Patrons want to interact with each other, as well with our team, during their visit, so making the decision to reopen was not taken lightly,” Preston Smelt, President of Anderby Brewing, said.

Though the facility has always had high sanitation standards, extra precautions have been taken to protect employees and visitors.

“Staff will wear masks during their shift and gloves when filling crowlers. We have added hand sanitizers and have started laminating menus for easy cleaning. We reduced the seating capacity of both the taproom and patio to allow for proper social distancing,” Smelt said.

Noble Fin — Fine Dining

For a night out to remember, you can’t go wrong with Noble Fin. Noble Fin reopened on May 22 with a limited all-day menu consisting of delectable small plates and salads, as well as gourmet seafood and steak entrees.

Outdoor picnic and patio tables make up the bulk of the seating. A walk-up ordering system is in place, approaching the server to order instead of traditional service. Limited indoor seating is
also an option.

For those that prefer to take their food with them, To-Go and curbside ordering remain an option. Please allow 45 minutes after calling for your food to be ready, and call in to inform the hosts of your arrival. The number for to-go ordering is 770-599-7979

Taqueria Del Mar — Mexican Cuisine

This fast, casual Mexican restaurant has been super creative about how to serve their loyal customers during these crazy times. For to-go options, Take and Bakes have been a staple of the new menu, featuring family-size delights like the Philly Cheesesteak Casserole and Cheesy Sloppy Beefaroni.

The dining room reopened to limited dine-in service on May 22, with traditional tableside ordering as well as contactless ordering in their free app. Tips to download the app on Apple or Android phones are listed on front page of their website.

As an added way to help struggling families, Taqueria Del Mar created the “Pay What You Can” program. Owner Andrew Hoppen wanted to make sure that anyone who needed a full meal could come in and get one by “paying what they can.” According to a posting on their Facebook page, over 300 people have been fed through this program since the first week of March. Patrons who can afford to “Pay it Forward” to offset these costs are encouraged to do so through Taqueria Del Mar’s mobile app menu. Thanks, Taqueria Del Mar, for showing us that kindness is cool! ■

Links to Businesses Mentioned in the story:
Beautiful Lea facebook.com/LeaYourHairSalon
My Salon Suite mysalonsuite.com/peachtree-corners
Innovative Smiles gwinnettdentist.com/wp3/
Spalding Animal Hospital spaldinganimalhospital.com
Anderby Brewing anderbybrewing.com
Noble Fin noblefinrestaurant.com
Taqueria Del Mar taqueriadelmar.com