Distillery-made hand sanitizer, new hours: How DeLand businesses are coping with coronavirus

Businesses are trying different things to stay open while minimizing the amount of people downtown.

The city is working with downtown businesses to allow people to get everything from meals and clothes, and everything in between.

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It’s an effort to minimize the number of people who go downtown, while helping those businesses stay open.

At Copper Bottom Craft Distillery, the alcohol is no longer being used to just make spirits – it’s now the key ingredient to make hand sanitizer lotion.

“t wasn’t something i was planning on, and we’ve had a lot of people who are like, ‘Look, I have kids, I can’t find it anywhere," said Jeremy Craig with Copper Bottom Craft Distillery.

Holly Hill Distillery is asking people to bring empty 4-ounce bottles or smaller, and it will fill them at no charge with hand sanitizer.

Owner Jeremy Craig tells me they’ve been flooded with calls and people coming in who need it, some of whom are from doctors offices and first responders.

“I’m sure their own private business is going to be suffering during this time, so for them to reach out to the community to help us, I think everybody should be doing what they can. So kudos to them,” said Volusia County resident Lara Rezapour.

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Perrine’s Produce said it is opening its Ormond Beach and Port Orange locations an hour early just for senior citizens.

“I’m 65 and I do have asthma and a child I have to protect, so (for) people like me, that’s a very kind thing to do,” Volusia County resident Sue Martin said. “Not everyone is kind right now.”

Parking spaces will be used for curbside pickup in DeLand, which allows people to still buy from downtown shops while limiting crowds.

“We want to make sure people know DeLand is open for business and we want to support local businesses,” said Chris Graham, community information specialist for DeLand.

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At The Table Restaurant, owners say business has fallen more than 75% in the last four days due to changes and precautions.

“Nobody wants to see America’s Main Street fall apart overnight, and without help from the city and the rest of the community, that’s exactly what will happen,” said Melissa Reed, owner of The Table Restaurant.

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