SUMTER, S.C. — Many retail stores across the state went back to business Tuesday following Governor Henry McMaster's move to relax restrictions that were meant to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Furniture, clothing, jewelry and some department stores were able to reopen.
In Sumter, Chip Bracalente who owns C. Anthony's Menswear, says he's "just glad to be open," after his store, like many others, had to take a financial loss.
"It his us about mid-March," Bracalente said. "Things just kind of turned off and so, you know, there was no cash flow moving and it affected us pretty bad."
Since the closure, they've taken to social media to try to make sales.
"Doing Facebook photos and Instagram photos," he said.
A minor impact compared to in-person profits. Bracalente says the governor's order came as a surprise for the better.
"It felt great and it felt a little strange opening up," he said. "Had a long-time customer come in and bought some clothes and we just talked about everything... remaining six feet away from each other.... We're excited about opening up today and trying to get things moving again."
Others like Patina Calhoun chose to keep their physical locations closed amid the pandemic.
She owns multiple businesses in Sumter, but says conflicting messages from state and federal leaders have made her unsure if opening now is the safest option.
"I am one of those individuals that have underlying health conditions and so I'm kind of reluctant now that the governor has given us permission to reopen businesses to actually open the doors of my stores and allow individuals to come in," she said.
For now, her sales remain digital as the fight to curb the spread of the coronavirus pushes on.