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At historic Philadelphia market, small businesses face triple blow from pandemic
(Reuters) – Athens Voulgaridis and his family have run their Greek gyro stand in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market since 1984, outlasting three recessions and a trademark battle with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
No crisis has hit the business as hard as the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a brief shutdown and slashed sales by as much as 80% at the lowest point.
Typically a bustling hub of restaurants, shops and food vendors, the indoor market, which celebrates its 128th anniversary on Monday, stayed open throughout the pandemic. But with conventions on pause, tourism down and much of the lunch crowd now working remotely, foot traffic at the market whittled down to roughly a third of its normal levels.