Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

STROLLING HIS REMOTE, 5-acre Seabeck property, where it smells like fresh-cut Christmas every single day, Makoto Imai imparts his craft, and the practiced, intensive process behind it, one structure at a time. Though old, noble trees mark the perimeter in most directions, his home and its scattered outbuildings, technically, are not in the woods. Still, its hard to imagine anywhere more woodsy.

The Backstory:The true story finally comes out for a true master craftsman

Makoto (hed prefer we call him Makoto) is a true master craftsman of traditional Japanese woodworking and construction. He uses no nails, no bolts, no screws just precisely aligned, gorgeous joinery, and hand tools carrying 8,000 years of history that he brought from Japan. Over his 50-year career, Makoto has designed and built homes in Japan, in California, on the East Coast and in Washington including a breathtaking guesthouse in Shoreline and a custom tea room on Bainbridge Island along with stunning, singular pieces of furniture. In his work and in his life they, too, are soundly joined hes been an influential instructor; a visionary designer; a quiet, prolific and constant creator; and, underlying everything, a devoted connoisseur and caretaker of wood.

Makoto lives here among the trees and the wood with his wife, Shoko, who makes her own impactful art and greeting cards out of torn paper. They have three children, all grown, but Makotos nurturing duties continue.

If I have a weekend or a Sunday, Im working and taking out lumber and organizing it, Makoto says. It never ends. From this process to making homes is like a parent raising kids from baby to adult.

This process, of selecting, acquiring and fostering lumber to its prime, begins inside a cavernous 35-by-48-foot storage building stacked as tall as a teenage tree with old, drying wood that needs to grow even older and drier. Makoto calls this his cedar inventory. This wood is aging many years at least 10 years, and most over 10 years, he says, tracing a gentle, masterful hand along beams hes come to know personally over the decades. This cedar, Ive had 20 years. Twenty years! And this stuff I bought from California 30 to 40 years ago. I can feel when this should be ready; you can see cracks. You can see this color. Thats how I can tell.

Next door were touring clockwise more drying wood waits to reach perfection along one side of a giant building Makoto uses for straightening out and squaring up with a portable sawmill. These are the round logs I use for natural, round beams, he says. Ive had them for 20 years no joke. Before conditioning, you have to write on each one how much it curved, how much it twisted. I stack them in this environment with no wind and no sun. Everything I can find out by drying it 15 or 20 years is very important.

Across the flattened-grass driveway, the upper level of a two-story wooden building holds the precious, precise, well-worn tools of Makotos trade, all stamped with his name in Japanese. Downstairs, there is yet more wood (a massive maple slab; a hefty chunk of 1,200-year-old Douglas fir from the Olympic Mountains; material for doors, windows and furniture), and a surfacing machine that does a 6-foot-wide-by-16-foot piece, he says. I can flatten it perfectly, for furniture. And then, filling space after space, the wooden furniture itself: intricate cabinets; an in-progress garden bench shaped like a fan; a tea-ceremony table so many pieces, so substantial, that they continue into the furniture-filled garage of Makotos home and, actually, much of its first floor.

Even the woods surrounding this supremely woodsy setting come into play. Traditional Japanese homes typically use white cedar, Alaskan yellow cedar and Western red cedar, Makoto says. But in the United States, I want to use other wood because I build homes on the West Coast. Sometimes Western maple; sometimes yew wood; sometimes wild cherry, but only for certain, small things. Sometimes Im collecting local rhododendron. My neighbor and I used to go walking; in the shade, I found a rhododendron branch. I want to use that. Anything I see is something special to me.

This is a place of exquisite inspiration and creation, and this is the process of an extraordinary creator. Both place and process are personal, pure and completely authentic.

I have to do everything, because no one makes this that I can buy, Makoto says. In America, I have to, I want to, do everything. Thats why I do this system: so its honest. I want to control it myself the quality. The customer should understand the process.

THE PROCESS BEHIND the Shoreline guesthouse Makoto built took years from start to finish and now, nearly two decades later, he still returns to perform maintenance on its weathering exterior wood. You dont just abandon your kids once theyre on their own, you know.

Situated on a serious 100-foot-high bluff overlooking sparkling Puget Sound, and sited amid Zen gardens and a languid pond on a gated 12-acre estate, the one-bedroom Japanese Sukiya Guesthouse was designed with Cardwell Architectsprimarily as an entertaining space, says the owner, who lived in Japan for 15 months in the 1980s. We have dinners here once or twice a year, for 16 or 20 people.

The owner initially connected with Makoto through one of his apprentices, who had installed a Japanese soaking tub in the main home. Discussing the potential of a guesthouse, the apprentice said, Thats above my level; you need Makoto, says the owner. This is all Makoto.

Typical of Makotos work, the materials are natural: clay tile, concrete foundation, Japanese clay plaster walls. And the wood, of course, is perfection: Alaskan yellow cedar posts, Western red cedar beams, entry stairs with bamboo insets with all wooden joints shaped by hand, by Makoto.

He also built the bamboo fencing and garden structures (Marshall Tyler Rausch Landscape Architects of Pittsburgh, now Pashek+MTR, handled the landscaping). His design eye is just incredible, the owner says. Theres a crooked bridge so bad spirits cant follow you, and the hillside pagoda had been crowded, so we took out the pine. Makoto said, Its not happy there.

Design, wood and skill joyfully blend in the guesthouse, where traditional Japanese elements (tatami mat flooring, an art niche, sliding shoji screens, post-and-beam construction) accommodate some modern design adjustments.

Theres a coat closet, for one thing, and a water heater in the basement, with radiant heat through the floors. The bathtub is Westernized, too, the owner says, as is the kitchen. A Japanese house would have a kitchen half this big, and that would be considered a large kitchen. And in a traditional Japanese country house, no one would have any heat other than open fires.

And then theres the soaring central room a veranda with mesmerizing views wraps three sides the true hub, and purpose, of the guesthouse.

Residential construction in Japan is done around tatami mats, says the owner. Theyre a standard size: a six-tatami mat room, or eight [like the bedroom here]. The tatami mat dictates everything. We have 15 tatami mats in the living room. Would there ever be a house in Japan built like this that a family would live in? No. The living room is three times larger than a house in Japan would have. How many people build a one-bedroom house with an enormous living room? Nobody.

But here, for special dinners prepared by noted restaurant chefs, it is ideal. Turns out the guests are notable, too.

Weve had the Japanese consul here, the owner says. Ichiro was here. Makoto sat next to Ichiro.

LIKE ICHIRO, MAKOTO was born in Japan. Unlike Ichiro, Makoto is nowhere near retired and he is 72.

Makoto grew up in the town of Hida Takayama, the youngest of nine children, and lived in a farmhouse his family has owned for 250 years. When he was 15, he started an apprenticeship (while studying at night school) and then sharpened his skills by repairing temples in Kyoto.

In Japan, says Makoto and Shokos daughter, Mai Imai Berman, Makotos profession is referred to as shokunin(craftsman or artisan) but it wasnt until he came to Berkeley in the 1970s and taught traditional Japanese woodworking (with very limited English) to Western carpenters that he started to receive a massive cult following of Americans wanting to see a glimpse of my dad demonstrating construction without using machinery.

Makoto remembers: That time I came, and wow in Japan, there arent that many people doing this. That was a hippie time [in California]: Many people were interested in Japanese architecture and construction. For them, simple post and beam and simple beauty were a nice feeling.

He built a lot of homes and quite the reputation in the Bay Area, Mai says, continuing to teach and demonstrate woodworking in California and on the East Coast. After two years back in Japan awaiting a permanent visa (he built a Japanese shrine for his parents during that time), Makoto returned to California, lived for 10 years in Weaverville and moved his way up the West Coast.

He says he came to Seabeck 25 years ago for the weather but, of course, it really was for the wood.

Oregon and Washington were a great lumber source, he says. Somehow, my personality wanted to keep shifting north. California was too dry for the tools and wood many cracks. I needed to have moisture.

Mai says not everyone understands why an acclaimed master craftsman would settle in such a secluded little burg. But she gets it. That is sort of the fascinating part to me, she says. He has the privacy and space to store and age the wood, no complaints about workshop sounds, and is living a very authentic Japanese lifestyle in the middle of Seabeck. Hes not in touch with internet/social media and quietly keeps to himself.

And he creates. Still. Always.

The Japanese traditional focus is one thing your whole life, Makoto says. Thats what Im doing: wood and homes. Its been 50 years now, but still I will keep going.

MIDWAY OR SO through Makotos career, 25 years ago, Ron Swanson was teaching English in Japan, where he met his wife, Miki, and was introduced to a ceremonial tradition that continues to influence and enrich their lives, and their home.

At the time, I felt I should learn something about Japanese culture, he says. A couple of students happened to have a friend who wanted to teach chado(the Way of Tea), and I became her first student. I studied in Japan a year and a half, and continued here. My wife decided she wanted to study chado as well; its something we wanted to do together.

When the couple bought property on Bainbridge Island in 2010, Ron says, We always had in mind that wed like to include a chashitsu, a traditional tea room, in the design of our home.

Makoto took it from there.

Connected to the Swansons living room by sliding Western red cedar shoji screens, the peaceful all-wood, 4.5-tatami mat tea-ceremony room Makoto built has a red pine tokobashira (pillar), an adjacent yellow cedar tokonoma (alcove), a closet, a shoji screen window to the outdoors, clay walls and a detachable pendant light that Ron removes during events or chado classes (he now is a teacher).

Its incorporated into our lives, so we use it almost every day, Ron says. We hang a scroll in the tokonoma. For tea, the scroll is most often Zen words, calligraphy, oftentimes written by a Buddhist priest. Also, we place seasonal flowers in the tokonoma something we cut from our garden. When these rooms are used, theyre not static. They change with the seasons. The scroll, the flowers, the utensils for different temae [the careful procedures of chado] are seasonal. Its not as if you were walking into someones living room where the furniture is the same every time. It changes with how you use it and the time of year.

Ron says the most important aspect of chado is to make a good bowl of matcha for your guests. Its roots are in ritual etiquette and Zen monastic life. And thats going back a long time. Its very much connected to the seasons and to nature and to traditional craft.

Appropriate, then, that Makoto and Shoko have visited here, too.

We have developed quite a friendship with Mr. Imai and his wife, Ron says. And one thing that I learned I think this is typical for a lot of craftspeople is that he rarely has the opportunity to experience his buildings or tea rooms being used. Our friendship has remedied that.

OVER TEA AND SANDWICHES at his Seabeck home upstairs, given the furniture-storage status of the entry level Makoto and Shoko share an archive of their lives: hand-bound booklets; a copy of Fine Woodworking magazine featuring Makoto; a colorful stack of Shokos greeting cards; papers and photos chronicling their history, their family, their work and their plans.

Makotos most recent homebuilding project returned him to California this spring San Francisco, specifically where his handcrafted work first earned deep appreciation for its most essential element: simple, beautiful authenticity.

Furniture, though, is his future. Its also simply, beautifully authentic and abundant: a trunk in the entry, a giant cabinet topped with glass so it wont scratch, a massive dining table with a movable base. Makoto might have crafted more than one trunk, and cabinet, and table, but each is one-of-a-kind, because each is crafted by a true craftsman.

Every day, I enjoy working with wood and using my technique with hand tools, he says. The modern way is using machinery, because its easy to produce and make a profit. But in my head, I do not think about money. If I do, my passion for my craft will become lost.

Still, Makoto hopes to sell his handcrafted furniture, so, also by hand, he creates meticulous price sheets on graph paper, with drawings and precise dimensions. Items are numbered, listing their types of wood. He stamps every completed project with his name, and the year it was crafted.

People dont realize: Each piece is laying out by hand and figuring out different joints. Its a process, he says. Each piece is a little different. My furniture is unique even in Japan. Im very unique because most Japanese dont have the patience.

Patience is as vital to Makotos process as are the wood, the creativity, the authenticity and the craftsmanship that fuel it. All rely on growth.

People think Im a master, but for me it doesnt matter, because everyone is the same, he says. The only difference is experience and how much youve got the ideas and the skill. Im still learning.

Sandy Deneau Dunham writes about architecture and design for Pacific NW and is associate editor of the magazine. Reach her at sdunham@seattletimes.com. Steve Ringman is a Seattle Times staff photographer; sringman@seattletimes.com.

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Makoto Imai masters Japanese traditional woodworking and construction in Washington and around the world - Seattle Times

Are you an expectant parent and want to know how to baby proof your home? Check out the expert's guide right here.

When expectant parents are all set to bring home the new-born, most importantly, you want to be sure that the home is securely set up to welcome your little bundle of joy. Parents must note that the best time for baby proofing your personal spaces is long before the baby actually arrives. Most parents and caregivers must comprehend the fact that what exactly is baby-proofing homes and why is it so vital. Baby-proofing is nothing but making your home totally baby-safe to avoid any unwanted hazards encountered by the baby, once he or she starts crawling.

Additionally, it is very difficult to gauge what will the baby get into once he or she starts to crawl, walk and becomes capable of climbing. Hence, it is prudent for new parents to make the home absolutely safe and sound for the baby by safeguarding that whatever he or she might try to open, pull on, or play with won't hurt the baby. Parents-to-be can learn how to baby proof your home room-by-room by leafy through the below mentioned ultimate baby proofing checklist:

Make your home safe normally first:

Before you baby-proof your home, you need to consider how normally safe your house is. You must primarily look into crucial aspects like ensuring your hot-water heater is set below 120 degrees F so that you will refrain from scalding your toddler during bath-time. You will require a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and will want to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of your home. While redoing your home to suit baby requirements, parents must ensure to place safety gates at the head and foot of your stairs, and seal all the electrical outlets with caps. Make sure to store all the chocking and hazardous substances in airtight containers on high shelves which are above the childs reach.Baby-proofing your living area:

Your baby might spend almost the whole day in the living area. Falls and accidents with furniture are the greatest peril to your baby in this room, so you will definitely want to add cushioned corner guards or appropriate edging to coffee and side tables and redo any sharp-cornered surfaces. Once your baby is capable of standing, he or she might also get the inkling to try to climb on the furniture pieces. Hence, as a precautionary measure, responsible parents must consider moving away from everything from your windows so the baby wont be able to climb up and fall out. Always mount bookshelves to walls so that your toddler will not be able to topple over. You must attach the LCD securely to an entertainment center or table so the baby is unable to pull it down on its own.

Always remember all the knickknacks are fair game for baby's play, so if you want to prevent your kid from touching something, you must store it away. While redesigning your family room for the baby, you can consider incorporating items like cordless blinds because the cords on blinds and curtains are usually strangling hazards for babies, hefty picture hooks to avert picture frames from falling off the wall and most importantly electrical tapes to shield electric cords from coming in contact with the baby.

The next stop should be your kitchen:The process of cooking and cleaning tends to keep you engaged; hence you want to rest assured that your child is not getting into any sort of trouble if you turn your back even for a second. Primarily you must consider reorganizing your kitchen once you have the baby on board. If your lower cabinets comprise of detergent powders and cleaning supplies you must without fail to move them to the top-most ones instead. Bottommost cabinets even if you make use of safety latches should hold things that are safe and sound for baby to scout like harmless plastic containers, paper products and pots and pans that are not heavy.

Even your lowermost kitchen drawers must not encompass any kind of plastic and paper bags which are suffocation hazards, these unsafe items must be moved to the upper drawers so that they are out of reach from the children. Place choking hazards and small items like magnets, up high too. Lastly, you must remember to unplug small appliances when not in use, but never allow the cords to dangle. Your kitchen must definitely have latches for cabinets and drawers that comprise of harmful products. This is necessary because once your baby learns to climb, he can reach out to almost anything. You must invest in stove-knob covers, to stop the baby from turning on the burners along with non-skid pads for rugs to avoid slipping and falling.

Finishing Up with the Bathroom:

Being the most hazardous place when kids are around, in the bathroom too you need to shift harmful products by designing high shelves and ensure to remove all electrical appliances and their cords to evade electrical perils.

Designing your babys room:

While setting up your munchkins room, you will surely require plenty of babyproofing to be done. Most importantly you need to take all steps to secure the babys cradle and ensure if it is meeting all the safety standards. For instance, while designing the cradle you must check that the crib bars must be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. Always keep in mind till the time the baby is older than 6 months, he could possibly suffocate on the bedding such as pillows and blankets, and you should also make sure his sheets and mattress fit firmly. Additionally, you must consider using UL-listed night-lights and replacement bulbs along with finger-pinch guards for hinges on doors.

Once you have given a tick mark to the bigger aspects while designing your home as per baby requirement, you must now focus on the smaller details. Always ensure to place safety gates at the entrance or exit to any room that will be off-limits to the baby, such as a formal living room. Check your doorstops; many usually have detachable caps that pose a choking risk for babies.

Make use of the above-mentioned baby proofing checklist to facilitate you to keep your new-born safe and sound.

By Hemil Parikh, Founder, Elysium Abodes LLP

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What are the essential ways to have baby proof homes? Expert reveals - PINKVILLA

As we head into cooler weather, here are some key tips on how to create a warm, dry home while keeping costs down and caring for the planet.

Reduce your shower time to 4 mins and install an efficient showerhead

Taking a short shower with an efficient showerhead not only conserves water it can save the average Auckland household (with mains pressure hot water) up to $1000/year* on water and power bills. Look for an efficient shower head with a 3-star water rating and choose your favourite 4-minute song to shower to.

Ensure your home is well insulated

Upgrading home insulation will stop heat escaping, keep you warmer and could save up to $400/year on energy bills.

As a simple rule of thumb, if you can see the ceiling joists inside the roof cavity you need to top up your ceiling insulation. Old foil underfloor insulation should be replaced by more effective bulk insulation. You can install some types of insulationyourself, or talk to an expert about what is best for your home.

Find out more on insulating your home at Live Lightly and see if you qualify for an EECA Warmer Kiwi Homes grant here.

Replace your lights with LEDs

LED light bulbs use up to 80 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs, while producing the same amount of light, and last much longer. Over their lifetime, you can save $290 for every standard 100W bulb replaced by an LED. If you have CFL or Halogen bulbs, replacing these with LEDs can also generate good savings.

If you have downlights installed prior to 2012, or if you can replace the bulb in them, change them to modern LED downlight fittings that can have insulation fitted over them. For every 1cm gap in insulation, you can lose up to 30 per cent of insulation performance.

Improve your curtains and blinds

Double-layer floor-length curtains with a close-fitting track can work as effectively as double glazing on your windows to retain heat and reduce your energy bills. Lined and well-fitted roman blinds or honeycomb blinds also keep the heat in well.

To get the most from your curtains/blinds, open them fully during the day and close at dusk. The energy from the sun coming through an average-sized north-facing window is equivalent to running a panel heater in winter.

Stop draughts

Draught stopping is easy to do yourself using various products from hardware stores and can save up to $70/year. V profile or double round draught stopping is good for sealing around windows and doors. For draughts under doors use a brush strip or a door snake.

Make small changes to your laundry routine

Save money on your power bills by washing clothes once you have a full load, in cold water and using the line to dry them. The average New Zealand household could save up to $130/year by taking these actions.

If necessary, finish drying clothes in an externally vented drier for a short time rather than making your home damp by drying clothes on a rack inside. This can mean you wont need to use a dehumidifier for many hours to remove damp remove moisture thats escaped into the room.

Insulate your hot water cylinder and pipes

Hot water cylinders older than 2003 arent insulated very well and should have a cylinder wrap and pipe lagging around the first 1-2m of pipe coming out of the cylinder. Your cupboard will still be warm and dry for storing linen and you could save up to $80/year on your energy bills.

Choose efficient home heating

Heating your home efficiently could save up to $350/year. A heat pump can provide three to four times more heat per unit of electricity compared to a plug-in heater and is a more efficient way to heat living areas. Set your heat pump to 18-21 C, as each degree higher increases energy usage by 10%. Also cleaning your heat-pump filters twice a year avoids filters getting clogged and using more power to run.

Plug-in electric heaters are okay for small rooms that are not occupied for long periods of time, but otherwise can be expensive to run.

The World Health Organisation recommends a daily minimum temperature of 18C (20C for children/elderly) and nightly minimum 16C (18C for children/elderly).

Install an energy-efficient hot water system

You could save upto $500 a year by installing a solar hot water system or hot water heat pump.

A solar hot water system (solar thermal) gives you free hot water in the summer but requires a boost in the winter from electricity, gas or a wetback. Hot water heat pumps deliver energy savings year-round and can be retrofitted to an existing cylinder, or as an all-in-one system.

If you add solar panels to your roof, an electric hot water cylinder or hot water heat pump can act like a battery to store the energy generated in the form of hot water, for later use.

Get personalised home performance advice

Complete your own free Homefit online check to make sure youve covered all bases to create a healthy, safe and efficient home. This includes the optional step of hiring an independent assessor to look over your home and certify if it meets the Homefit standard.

Auckland Council also provides free personalised and impartial home performance advice. Virtual home visits are available during the lockdown period. Our home performance advisor will work with you to find the right options for your home and budget. This advice is free to Auckland residents, whether you are a homeowner, landlord or tenant.Book your session today here.

Inspired to find out more about how you can save money and have a warmer, drier, healthier home? Visit Live Lightly for more ideas and advice.

*Saving estimate based on saving in electricity and water costs for a 3 person household with shower flow rate of 12L/min reducing to 9L/m, and reducing shower time from 10mins to 4min

All other savings are estimates based on a 100m2 Auckland home with average insulation and typical heating patterns, for a 3 person household.

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10 ways to keep warm, save money and care for the planet this winter - OurAuckland

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - From UpTown to the Marina District, places with patios in Toledo are preparing to get going.

"I don't know whether the people coming into eat are more eager or I am," Old Bag of Nails general manager Donald Goodwin said.

The new restaurant's opening day of March 15 was shuttered by Ohio's stay-at-home order. Since then, workers have only fulfilled take-out orders. When bars and restaurants with patios get the green light to reopen May 15, workers say they'll be ready for customers on the riverfront patio.

"The tables [will be] six feet apart," Goodwin said. "So we'll follow all the guidelines on that part of it."

Across the Maumee River on Adams Street, the crew at The Attic and Mano's Greek Restaurant are also gearing up.

"It's good news we're approaching it very seriously," general manager Amelia Jarret said.

Jarret says her state-mandated floor plan is ready, which includes socially distanced seating, limited tables and one-way entry to the bar.

"We're really thinking it through, very hard about how it's going to look," Jarret said.

Like many bars and restaurants in UpTown, the spot is also located in a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area or DORA. While it's closed for now, leaders in Gov. DeWine's office say DORAs can technically reopen when bars and restaurants do, but under the guidance of local health departments.

As talks continue on how to make it happen in UpTown, Jarret says safely restoring the DORA gives people a chance to get out and space out.

"People can just come in for a moment and get their drink and then they go and they're outside," Jarret said.

For now the focus is on patios and whether off the street or on the water, workers are ready to get back to it.

"If anybody wants to eat on the patio, we'd be more than happy to [accommodate]," Goodwin said.

Toledo-Lucas County Health Department leaders said they're not against the idea of reopening the county's three DORAs, but say that further discussions are needed. An official announcement is expected next week.

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Toledo bars, restaurants with patios gearing up to serve customers by May 15th - 13abc Action News

Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday outlined his eagerly anticipated guidelines for Phase One of reopening Virginia, and the eased restrictions have the biggest impact for churches and personal grooming businesses, such as barbershops and hair salons.

Dubbed safer in place when the governor announced it on Monday, Phase One could begin at the end of next week if current COVID-19 trends hold.

In Phase One, churches and hair salons can resume service at 50% capacity and with some other restrictions, such as social distancing inside and face masks required by both the provider and client at salons. Phase One of the states reopening could last two weeks or longer, Northam said Friday. He also emphasized that the restrictions are a floor, adding that localities that want stricter regulations can reach out to the administration, which will have the final say.

For John Clary, the owner of Studio in the Garden near West Broad Street and Libbie Avenue in Henrico County, the governors announcement came as good news for his salon, which has been closed since Northams order in March to shut down nonessential businesses.

Its been traumatic. Its been horrible not being able to have an income to be able to support our family, Clary said.

Clary was not concerned about Northams requirements for masks during appointments.

Weve been without any business, Clary said. Wearing the masks, the gloves, it doesnt bother me at all. I want people to feel comfortable in being able to come back.

Not all salons are planning to open. Pat Heaney, co-owner of Mango Salon, which has three salon locations in the Richmond area that have been shuttered since March 17 because of the coronavirus pandemic, said the business wasnt planning to open by May 15, adding that he and others are taking time to ensure they have enough personal protective equipment on hand.

Were not going to open until we are 100% confident that our employees, team members and clients will be safe, Heaney said.

Retail stores, nearly all of which were deemed essential by the state and permitted to remain open with some restrictions, can operate in Phase One at 50% capacity and with social distancing inside. Face masks for employees continue not to be mandated by the state for retail businesses deemed essential, but they will be required for workers at every nonessential business permitted to reopen.

Most of the other categories of businesses that were deemed nonessential by the governors office in March must remain closed. Gyms, restaurants and breweries will remain closed inside, but they can offer some service outdoors, such as opening patios or offering small, outdoor fitness classes.

My initial reaction is confusion, said Christian Morganti, regional manager for four Richmond-area Golds Gym franchises. Because I dont understand, given the amount of precautions that our gym, and probably many others, are willing to take, how we arent allowed to open.

Gyms and fitness centers can host outdoor classes with 10 or fewer people in the class and at least 10 feet between class attendees.

Morganti said he thought the Phase One guidelines would allow gyms to be open inside, albeit with social distancing.

Compared to other businesses that, by definition, cannot maintain social distancing and the CDC guidelines are allowed to [open], thats confusing to me, Morganti said. We can maintain social distancing at this establishment. You cant at your dentist office, you cant at your elective surgeries, you cant at the barbershop. You can at the gym.

Still, Morganti said Golds Gym will take advantage of whatever easing of restrictions it can, even if it means small outdoor classes.

He just has to coordinate it with property managers and talk with lawyers about what liabilities that we cover, he said, but if thats what we are given the opportunity to do, we will 1,000% take advantage of that opportunity.

The local restaurant industry is less excited about its Phase One guidelines.

Restaurants and breweries cannot open their dining or tasting rooms, but they can use their patios at 50% capacity and with 6 feet between parties provided the patio is at least 6 feet away from the sidewalk or any public area. Restaurant employees must wear masks and have their temperature taken at the start of each shift, and restaurants must use disposable menus. During Phase One, restaurants must meet a total of 15 daily requirements, according to detailed guidelines posted to the states website at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Nearly every other category of business was issued fewer than 10 opening requirements.

Once again, the restaurants are the ones left fending for themselves, said Michelle Williams, co-owner of the Richmond Restaurant Group, which owns and operates multiple restaurants around town. None of it makes sense. It doesnt seem like people from the industry were involved in this.

Williams said shes not sure yet if shell open any of the patios at her restaurants next week. She said she was still trying to parse the requirements and figure out if her restaurants in the city meet the 6-feet-from-the-sidewalk stipulation.

We havent gotten any clear guidance, she said. Its not a flip the switch. We didnt know what [Phase One] meant for us until 2:30 today.

Williams said theres the added challenge of bringing staff back, and knowing if limited patio seating will bring in enough revenue to warrant it.

Breweries are in the same situation.

At this point, not having really enough time to sort of process that information, it kind of creates more questions than it answers for us, said Tom Sullivan, co-founder of Ardent Craft Ales in Scotts Addition. We would not want to reopen simply because there is a business opportunity there without taking into account the safety of our employees and customers, and that gets sticky rather quickly, given the state of things.

Nancy Thomas, president and CEO of the Retail Merchants trade group, which has about 400 business members in the Richmond region, was hoping the governor would loosen restrictions on restaurants a little more.

We are encouraged that retailers are able to open at 50% capacity in Phase One of the plan, Thomas said. We are discouraged that restaurants were not included in that.

Thomas said allowing restaurants to offer indoor dining would have given them the opportunity to gauge customer preferences and prepare for the time when distancing rules can be eased enough to allow more indoor gatherings.

Plus, not all restaurants have outdoor seating, though the city of Richmond may be easing its process for restaurants to get them. Jim Nolan, a spokesman for Mayor Levar Stoney, said Friday that the city is hoping to have a process in place soon.

We are discussing options for how this can be done to ensure public safety and public health and will await further clarity from the governor next week before determining specific next steps, Nolan said.

But some businesses didnt receive any reopening flexibility in Phase One. Recreation and entertainment venues such as bowling alleys, theaters and music venues must stay closed. Beaches will remain closed except for exercise or fishing; outdoor swimming pools may open, but for lap swimming only and with a limit of one person per lane. And a 10-person limit on social gatherings enforceable as a misdemeanor remains in place, as does the recommendation for wearing masks in public and teleworking for professional businesses.

Northam said Friday that he knows many businesses want to reopen.

I also understand that there are workers who are afraid to go back right now, because they or their loved ones have underlying health conditions. ... I want to assure those workers [too], he said.

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Phase One of reopening Virginia allows salons and patios to open; dining rooms and gyms must stay closed - Richmond.com

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Ed Lee, one of the partners behind Marietta Square Market, said at the time, We think its way too early. We werent ready. As soon as we feel like its safe, well get ready and announce an opening.

In a Facebook post, the food hall announced that all of its restaurants would reopen on Friday and that the patio would be available for on-premise dining as well. The announcement also noted that the patio has been modified to accommodate social distancing guidelines. The AJC has requested additional details about the modifications but has not received a response.

Now more than a year old, Marietta Square Market is home to a wide variety of food vendors offering a range of cuisine, from ramen to Mediterranean to barbecue. Prior to the food halls reopening announcement, a majority of its vendors had closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.When dining editor Ligaya Figueras visited for Atlanta Orders In, five vendors were serving food:Grand Champion BBQ, Luckys Burgers and Brew, Forno Vero, Ponko Chicken and Four Fat Cows Ice Cream and Bakery.

Now that restaurants have had a couple of weeks to observe and understand the guidelines for reopening, all of Marietta Square Markets restaurant vendors will simultaneously reopen. The food hall will continue to offer takeout ordering with curbside pickup available for those who prefer not to go inside. Rich Dippolito, another partner behind the market, previously told the AJC that a memo had been issued to all vendors with detailed instructions for safe sanitization and service even before Gov. Kemps guidelines were released.

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Marietta Square Market reopening with all vendors and patio-only dining - Atlanta Journal Constitution

VIRGINIA (WAVY) As Virginia enters phase 1 of reopening and businesses are allowed to open for outdoor dining, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is looking to help businesses in that process.

The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is expanding opportunities for ABC-licensed businesses to serve alcohol outside their establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virginia ABC has created an expedited approval process for outside dining areas as some businesses consider expanding their outdoor dining areas. The process allows the temporary expansion of dining areas only while the governors executive orders 61 and 62 are in effect.

Gov. Ralph Northams Executive Order 61 which starts the phase 1 reopening process allows restaurants to now operate with delivery, take-out, and outdoor dining and beverage services only. Occupancy at those restaurants must be at 50-percent capacity.

Executive Order 62 exempts Northern Virginia from the states reopening process.

The Virginia ABCs new expedited process comes with a few stipulations:

The Virginia ABCs guidance comes just one day after Virginia Beach officials briefed City Council on their plans to safely reopen the beaches and Oceanfront businesses.

Those plans include possibly expanding restaurants ability to serve food and drink on sidewalks, in parking lots and on the boardwalk.

City Council is set to hear more about those plans during a meeting Thursday.

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Virginia ABC allows businesses to expand to outside dining areas such as parking lots or patios but only with a localitys approval - WAVY.com

East Nashvilles lou is ready to reopen this week with takeaway brunch and dinner picnic sacs, whole cakes, and wine. Chef/owner Mailea Weger and crew are also offering socially distanced patio tables outside for booking. Dubbed lou sur place, the takeaway picnic option rolls out on Friday, May 15.

A dinner sac for two people is $80, and this weeks menu includes a shrimp boil, Moroccan carrots, spring pea salad, and more. Brunch sacs are available for $55. Other options are a $40 snack sac, wine, and provisions like a farmers market box, whole cakes, doughnuts, and breakfast cake with wine.

There will be multiple tables on the patio for booking that are spaced out to allow for proper social distancing. Sales will open every Wednesday, and people can pre-order for pick up on Thursday-Sunday. Guests can book online if they would like to sit on the patio. There will be a movie of the week shown outside at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday.

See this weekends menu below, then check lous website for future offerings. Hours for lou sur place are Thursday-Saturday 12 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 12 until 4 p.m.

1304 McGavock Pike, , TN 37216 (615) 730-6273

Read more from the original source:
East Nashvilles Lou Returns This Weekend With Socially Distanced Patio Picnics - Eater Nashville

Sad to see Mile End Deli go from the corner across from Railroad Park, but were happy to see Hero Doughnuts expanding. Photo via Hero Doughnuts on Facebook

With an amended order from the state allowing on-premises dining at restaurants, bars and breweries that can follow social distancing guidelines, some Birmingham area restaurants have started to reopen their doors. Heres a list of 7 we know of so far.

Alabamas amended Safer at Home plan announced Friday, May 9, stated that on May 11, 2020, restaurants, bars, breweries and similar establishments may now offer on-premises consumption of food or drink.

The orderwhich will remain in effect until May 22 at 5PMalso stated that party sizes must be limited to no more than eight people who can maintain a six-foot distance between other patrons, and other specific guidelines.

Restaurants, bars and breweries were encouraged to continue take-out and delivery services as well as continue practicing safe social distancing protocols.

Since May 11, restaurants who meet these guidelines have begun to re-open in Birmingham. Here are 7 we know of so far. We will keep you updated as more places open.

Many restaurants in the Birmingham area arent ready to open their doors for customers to dine in. Some need more time to prepare and plan, and some just dont have the space to meet the CDCs social distancing guidelines. But they all still need our support. Here are a few resources with ways to do that now:

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7 Birmingham restaurants opening for in house + patio dining this week - Bham Now

Considering that Jay Dillon is expanding his outdoor furniture business in the middle of a global pandemic, things are going well.

Dillons company, Yardbird, which uses repurposed plastic debris from the ocean to make the furniture, had been planning to expand from its base in Minneapolis to Denver, Kansas City and Detroit. The novel coronavirus then broke out in China and other Asian countries where the company gets about 55% of its products.

As the disease spread around the world, Yardbird went from scrambling to get its goods from overseas to the prospect of having the products but little demand for them after U.S. businesses started closing.

Its nothing that we obviously chose to do, Dillon said of growing the company during a pandemic.

It felt like a roller coaster ride, at one point pushing to get the product and then saying No, dont get product, hold up on product, he added. Ultimately it was this up, down and then up again. Its been chaotic. Its been chaotic for everybody.

Its also been surprisingly rewarding for Yardbird as economic activity has started to pick up. The company opened its first Colorado location last week in Lone Tree when retail stores were allowed to reopen while following guidelines to keep COVID-19 from spreading. Dillon said the Lone Tree showroom did about $250,000 in business. The companys sales, primarily online, totaled roughly $2 million over the past two weeks.

We were aiming to do about half of that (in sale) in a normal environment, said Dillon.

He figures the timing has been serendipitous for Yardbird. Restrictions on business are easing at about the same time the weathers getting warmer and the backyard beckons as a safe place to venture.

As the weather becomes nice and people cant go out to events, if they havent been impacted that much financially, were seeing that theyre investing in their outdoor space to entertain close friends or their families, just to be outdoors, Dillon said.In that regard, we feel very grateful, very fortunate. Were just glad we dont sell mens dress pants since people arent going into work.

Dillon and his father, Bob, launched Yardbird in 2017. The elder Dillon has experience in importing and retail. The son worked in marketing and for a medical devices company.

It was Dillons personal experience of shopping for outdoor furniture that led to starting Yardbird. He saw an opening for a product that wasnt as expensive as that sold by high-end retailers but of higher quality than some of the lower-priced furniture.

Dillon, who lived for a while in Hong Kong, visited factories in Asia and learned more about how other companies use plastic that winds up in the ocean. He said large nets are used to collect plastic and other garbage on the beaches in Hong Kong, but youre still swimming in a ton of debris.

About 60% of everything we sell has intercepted ocean plastic in it. An average set will have at least 20 to 30 pounds of that plastic in it, Dillon said.

Yardbird works with businesses in China and other countries to produce strong plastic whose colors wont easily fade. The company gets about 10% of its products from Europe and 30-35% from the U.S., including a supplier in Durango.

The supply-chain challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak has Yardbird exploring more domestic sources of material, including aluminum. The company is going to manufacture a new line of Adirondack chairs.

However, Dillon thinks some products from other countries would be hard to replace, such as hand-woven wicker furniture.

Yardbird opened a showroom in Kansas City Monday, but has pushed back an opening in Detroit, which has been a hot spot for the coronavirus.

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Company that turns plastic into patio furniture successfully expands into Denver area during pandemic - The Denver Post