HENDERSON (KTNV) — From iced coffee to frothy brews, local treats to great conversation, Public Works Coffee Bar in Henderson's historic Water Street District has been a social hub in the area for years.
Then, as owner Windom Kimsey put it, the coronavirus pandemic began.
"Imagine a place like this where it's all about being social," he said standing outside of his now open business.
Kimsey said, while they stayed open for curbside service during the shutdown, they lost roughly 70% of their business.
After opening for dine-in service, he said they're still 35% to 40% below normal revenue.
"There's a lot less of that, people coming and pulling up a table and chatting," he said, "it's very different."
One problem further complicating the business situation has been ongoing construction on Water Street and the surrounding area where the city is building a new plaza to compliment upgrades to Lifeguard Arena.
Traffic flow is constricted in many areas and blocked on Water Street.
"It's temporary pain for a future real positive gain for downtown," Kimsey said.
Workers have been toughing out the slump despite new safety measures put in place to restrict the transmission of the coronavirus.
All workers wear masks and gloves, tables have been spaced out, there are hourly cleanings, sanitizer and wipes can be found all over the store, and social distancing reminders are all over the floor.
"We try to do everything we can," Kimsey said.
He said the goal is to stay open and continue selling products and ingredients made locally to help the whole area.
"It's just going to take an amount of time none of us can predict," he said, "but we'll get there."
Kimsey said the store is operating on limited hours, closing at 1 p.m., until more business returns.
