Ephrata businesses inch back to normal

Like many Washington businesses, those in downtown Ephrata are ready for Phase 3.

Evenings at Anytime Fitness, at 514 Basin St. NW, are pretty much back to normal, as far as patron visits, said manager Leo Garcia on Monday. Its elder demographic, however, will be down for a long time.

It’s been a slow crawl back, Garcia said. When news of the pandemic first broke, member numbers just dropped completely. Slowly, but surely, all but its older patrons have been coming back.

“Everybody is tired of everything that has gone on before, and so at this point everybody is just going back to normal,” he said. “We’re picking up our members, everyone is just tired of being shut in at home, so any sort of real life or anything that’s having to do back to reality, they’re all just coming back in.”

Debbie Piturachsatit, owner of Country Deli, at 245 Basin St. NW, said she removed her every-other-table restrictions Monday morning, and she can already tell a difference in the place’s atmosphere.

El Agave Mexican Restaurant, at 906 Basin St. SW, has been really busy, said Rudy Cano, one of the owners. When it was only doing takeout, business was down by at least 80%.

Not only is it back on track now, he said, but it’s getting busier by the week.

“When we were takeout, I could see the faces on my cooks,” Cano said. “I could see that they see business slowing down. They don’t say nothing, but I could tell on their face that they knew what was happening. But now everybody seems to be happy.”

The new changes are giving the Ephrata community some semblance of normalcy, Garcia said.

“I was excited once the movie theater opened, because that’s what I used to do every weekend, so getting this place opened up almost to full potential gives everyone that (assurance) that they can go back to the lifestyle they once had,” he said.

Piturachsatit said she’s not changing one more thing. It reminds her of when she watched “Fiddler on the Roof” at Moses Lake High School when she was a senior, she said, and they sang “Tradition.”

“Virus or no virus, we each have a due date,” Garcia said. “We can’t let this hold us back. Everybody’s different, and if you let certain things hold you back, it will (impact) your lifestyle. As a fitness center, we encourage people to be not just physically strong but mentally strong.”

El Agave has been continually blessed by the Ephrata community, Cano said.

“Ephrata is a very small community, but we support each other,” he said. “We are blessed that we are one of the businesses that keeps business going. We are very happy to be one of Ephrata’s favorites. That’s why we wake up, not only me but all of the employees, we work ... from day to night, 10-, 13- hour shifts. And we are here, happy we are open now.”

The whole town seems happier with each new phase, Piturachsatit said.

“People are thrilled. They’re thrilled that we’re open. Everybody’s so happy,” she said. “They’re thrilled that they can come in and eat again and be normal. That’s all I want, is to be normal.”