Closing down Main St. in an attempt to save Main St.

BUCKLEY, Wash. - As we march towards toward the holidays, small-town governments are doing whatever it can to help small businesses survive.

Around 4 o’clock each Friday afternoon, the city of Buckley first closed down its Main Street to vehicles last weekend in an effort to give small businesses on the block a chance to survive.

“We need to still be a part of life and be normal,” said shopper Angela Kelly. “We can’t just hold up in our house.”

The owner of a retail store named The Queen’s Ransom was praising the city’s pilot program.

Katie Morehead says small business Saturday was her best day open in two decades.

“It was a really neat way to do things and people were wandering around the streets,” Morehead said.

The street closes Friday afternoon and lasts through Monday morning. Businesses within the closure hope to see a repeat of last weekend’s crowds.

 “We don’t want to close down again,” said shopper Cindy Felder who owns an antique shop in Spanaway.

While she supports the street closure, she worries shoppers might get complacent and offer Covid a chance to spread if people are not careful.

“If the city can do anything to help the businesses, that’s amazing,” she said. “But, everybody still has to be responsible.”

The city says there is no end date to the pilot project and will meet with business owners to gauge how the closures have helped.