After a difficult 2020, La Conner businesses ready for return of spring visitors | Local News

“I like to say spring is not canceled,” she said. “Our merchants are excited to welcome people and enjoy the seasonality in our (daffodil and tulip) blooms.”

At the La Conner Country Inn on Friday, staff were busy finishing renovations and sprucing up rooms for the inn’s reopening on March 5.

The inn will reopen in time for the blooming of Skagit Valley’s daffodil fields in March and the tulip fields in April, said Audrey Burrell, sales and marketing director of the La Conner Country Inn and the La Conner Channel Lodge, the inn’s sister hotel.

“I was in the daffodil fields (on Wednesday) and they are getting very ready to bloom,” she said.

The La Conner Daffodil Festival is hosted by the La Conner chamber and will take place throughout March. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, set for April 1-30, plans to move forward under the state’s COVID-19 rules. To limit the number of visitors, tulip farms are requiring online tickets and reservations.

Burrell said both the 28-room La Conner Country Inn and 40-room La Conner Channel Lodge are counting on a strong tourist season after a difficult 2020.

She said both properties closed last March due to COVID-19 and reopened in May. The inn closed again in October because business was slow.

“We can’t do another six months (of closures),” Burrell said.

The hospitality industry has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to restrictions on travel and dining. Skagit County’s hospitality and leisure sector was down 1,100 jobs in December compared to the previous year, according to data from the state Employment Security Department.

Burrell said while hotels have not yet fully recovered, there is some good news.

“While we’ve lost the groups, the Canadians, and the business travel, we’ve seen more Seattle travelers that have never visited us in the past,” she said. “They don’t have as many options and are choosing a road trip and are discovering La Conner.”

Burrell said the inn has made changes in light of COVID-19. It plans to offer individually-wrapped grab-and-go continental breakfast meals, has removed decorative pillows from rooms, and has pushed back check-in time an hour to allow extra time for cleaning. Face coverings are required for employees and guests.

A string of new businesses have opened up in La Conner in time for the surge in spring visitors. Carter said she counts seven new businesses — including a restaurant, florist and two boutiques — that have opened since the fall, or are planning to open soon.

“It left open space and opportunity for new businesses to come in,” Carter said. “I think it was not all doom and gloom. We’re excited about all these new businesses.”

One of the new businesses is Winston’s General on First Street.

Owner Robyn Bradley opened the store in December, one storefront over from her store Handmade La Conner. Bradley said Winston’s General has a little bit of everything, including snacks, specialty food items, games, plants, and soap and personal care products from Handmade La Conner.

Bradley said as La Conner gets busy again, she is most nervous about having to limit the number of shoppers allowed in the store at one time.

Retail is limited to 25% capacity in Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington Plan. However, Bradley said most shoppers have been good about lining up outside and waiting their turn.

She said despite the challenges of the past year, Handmade La Conner had a better summer in 2020 than it did in 2019.

“I think people are supporting small businesses more than normal,” she said. “The (Skagit) Valley and La Conner are such good places to visit when you want to get out.”

With a ban on indoor dining lifted earlier this month, many restaurants have reopened at 25% capacity.

Nell Thorn Restaurant & Pub in La Conner is planning on hiring additional staff in preparation for the busy spring season, said Albie Bjornberg, the restaurant’s general manger and managing partner.

The big question for restaurants is whether a Phase 3 is coming, he said. Inslee has not yet announced plans for further reopening.

{p dir=”ltr”}”We’ve had pretty good business levels since we were allowed to open on (February) 14th,” he said. “It’s very promising. People are still sitting outside, and I’m still hypersensitive to the safety of our guests and safety of the staff, as well.”

{p dir=”ltr”}He said the town is hopeful for a good tourist season.

“We’ve learned a lot about the pandemic,” he said. “The nice thing about Washingtonians is that most are masking up, taking precautions and living their lives.”