The pandemic brought downtown Iowa City to a virtual standstill for 13 months, its storefronts full but its sidewalks empty.
In early March 2020, an estimated 155,000 people were walking downtown streets weekly. A month later, that foot traffic plummeted to fewer than 10,000 visitors as the COVID-19 pandemic forced restaurants to close and kept potential shoppers in their homes.
Most local businesses were able to find aid, adjust and persist. But, of the 31 area businesses the Press-Citizen recorded closing in 2020, roughly half were located in or around downtown Iowa City. Places like Peninsables Grocery, The Mill and La James International College have left behind barren storefronts.
How Downtown Iowa City plan to bounce back as pandemic eases and shoppers return msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Auburn vs. Pierce, 3.10
Auburn players, including Cam Binder (2) and Bret Baltensperger (40) give the Pierce team a wave after winning a Class C-1 boys state tournament first-round game Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Medical marijuana presser 3.10
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts delivers opening remarks in opposition of medical marijuana legislation during a public press conference at the Nebraska State Capitol on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Omaha Concordia vs. Milford, 3.10
Milford s Seth Stutzman (top) rises over Omaha Concordia s Justin Otten for a rebound in the third quarter in a Class C-1 boys state tournament first-round game Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Ben Pille, stylist at The HairLoft, works on a clientâs haircut on Wednesday. Pille and four other stylists work at the downtown salon.
Five friends who got to know each other during their time in beauty school now work together at a salon in Fort Dodge’s downtown district.
Erica Trudeau-Adams and Brittany Kirsch opened The HairLoft, 14 N. 11th St., in May.
“Brittany and I have worked together in the past before with some managing experience,” Trudeau-Adams said. “We both were unhappy where we ended up after Mastercuts closed. We both had the same ideas of what we wanted out of the business and the same vision for the environment.”