We Keep Us Safe: Bay Area Businesses Practicing Community Care

We Keep Us Safe: Bay Area Businesses Practicing Community Care

 

Heather Ringo

 

As of December 2023, society has largely abandoned disabled people to COVID. This includes most businesses in the Bay Area. There are observably fewer wearing respirators now than at any time since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic began in 2019. Few hospitals require masks and even fewer businesses. This is despite the fact that COVID is still a leading cause of death and mounting evidence it causes serious medical conditions (including an almost 20% chance it results in chronic symptoms). Even worse, the Bay Area is currently in a massive COVID surge according to wastewater data. This means many disabled, immunocompromised, and elderly people forgo necessary medical care due to the high risk of nosocomial infections. Many of us can’t afford to get sick while seeking essential services, let alone participate in non-essential activities that once brought us joy — like holiday shopping, parties, and events. 

Yet there are a few stalwart businesses going against the trend of treating disabled people as disposable. In this article, we will profile five of them: a gift shop, a bookshop cooperative, a dentist, a pet sitter, and a comics and games store. While other businesses have scrubbed any pandemic reminders from their premises, these COVID-safe businesses lean into community care. All of them incorporate some form of universal masking. Some implement much more stringent protocols, such as upgrading their ventilation, going great lengths to make their businesses safe and accessible for all. If you live in the Bay Area, check them out and share your appreciation for keeping everyone safe. If you don’t live in the Bay Area, seek out those businesses in your area and let folks in your community know.

Two businesses cite disability justice as their reasoning. Some make the practical argument that they can’t afford to miss work should they get a COVID infection. Some are high-risk themselves or care for high-risk family members. Several face intense backlash, such as anti-mask harassment, yet remain steadfast in their commitment to community care and public health. Despite the challenges, these business owners are not just imagining a more inclusive, safe, and accessible world. They are building it. And their public health praxis can form a model for other businesses and institutions to follow. It is a glimmer of hope amidst the “post-pandemic” phase we are now in.

Bay-Made (Oakland)

 

What they sell: locally made gifts, including: art, art supplies, tasty provisions, and luxury self-care products

Location: 3295 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA 94610

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11am-5pm

Websites: Bay-Made (shop site) | Sarahjane Bernhisel Illustration (business owner artist site)

COVID-safe protocols: universal masking, free KN95 masks, optimized ventilation using an air purifier, three fans, and an open front-door (weather permitting), and online gift boxes for high-risk customers who can’t risk shopping in-person

Tucked into Oakland’s Lakeshore Avenue, Bay-Made beckons customers with locally made treats, art, and…a cute cat.  Shop cat Sunday, a mischievous calico, greeted us at the store entrance, leading us in with her tail curled like a question-mark. Once inside, she sprinted zoomies up and down the small store’s center aisle, display shelves, and sales counter. Despite her chaotic antics, she gracefully avoided damage to the merchandise, including stickers by local artists Hannah James Knight of Red Kestrel Tattoo, Urban Beekeeper honey, McEvoy Ranch olive oils, Dandelion chocolates, Old Salt teas, and gorgeous original art, much of it featuring Bay Area native flora, fauna, and landscapes.

“Sunday, Sunday, come here Sunday!” a little boy shouted from the entrance as his father, evidently a repeat customer, donned an N95 mask to enter.

“Sunday is a bit of a local celebrity,” Business owner and illustrator Sarahjane Bernhisel explained as she welcomed us inside. 

Also greeting us at the entrance were seven signs asking us to please mask, with equal parts kindness and snark. Bernhisel, sporting a fashionable bright pink KN95 mask, alternated between (playfully) chastising Sunday for her spicy behavior, tending to shop business, and sharing about why she continues to persist in her COVID-safe protocols despite most other area businesses abandoning them.

 

Bernhisel comes from a family of medical professionals. This background attuned her to the COVID risk reality and the benefits of preventing infection. She has several immunocompromised family and friends she would like to protect. Further, she explained that, as a small business, with only two employees (herself and one other staff member), she can’t afford to get sick. To her, dropping masks isn’t worth it: “If I get COVID, please let it be from seeing loved ones, not from work.”

When asked if she has faced any pushback for shop safety protocol, she rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah.” One customer, upon seeing the masks required signage, threw the free mask basket on the ground in front of the store. Others, when they see the signs, turn around and leave. Some write one-star YELP reviews. For example, one user named “Alexandria H.,”,seemingly in response to the mask requirements, described Bernhisel as “unfriendly,” and “rude,” and the store as “overly priced.”

 

“It is a damper on business,” Bernhisel admits. But, she adds, “99% of people” do the right thing. “And, for every negative person, there are multiple people thanking me for protecting them.”

Bernhisel shared a touching story of how one customer told her “I’m in the middle of my cancer treatment and can’t risk COVID. I feel safe and comfortable stopping by your store for retail therapy.” Many high-risk customers express similar gratitude.

From what I witnessed during my short time in the store, customers appear to follow safety protocol without fuss. During our interview, six customers and one local artist showed up, all quickly masking up before entering. Most already had their own masks and did not need to take the free masks provided.

And Bernhisel sees no reason to drop protocols anytime soon. “One day I hope vaccinations will be enough to prevent COVID. But we aren’t there yet.” Her protocols are low-effort and low-cost. Protecting vulnerable customers, to her, is “not a burden.” She shares it is important for her to provide access to disabled people. She appreciates the support from the disability and COVID-safe communities, and that, given the hit to her bottom line she takes for retaining her precautions, she says the best way people can show appreciation is to support her business. 

“I want people to know about us, especially for the holidays. At least here people know they will be safe.”

For those who can’t safely visit in-person, Bay-Made sells pre-made gift boxes online. 

Moments Cooperative and Community Space (Oakland)

What services they provide: they sell social justice themed books and zines, share political information, and host workshops and artist and writer residencies for Oakland Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) creatives

Location: 410 13th Street Oakland, CA 94612, US

Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 12-6pm

Website: Moments Cooperative and Community Space

COVID-safe protocols: Universal masking, free masks, improved ventilation including running an air purifier and fan, open front door when weather permits, online order options, outdoor seating area, and requiring event hosts to sign a form agreeing to COVID-safety protocols. They also post general Accessibility Info, which is something all businesses should do!

Moments Cooperative was founded in 2020 “from the want and need to create a space for QTBIPOC to create, explore, and utilize space in downtown Oakland.” It is a worker-owned and operated space. They are organized in “a horizontal structure,” so all decisions are made collectively. Consistent with these principles, they wanted to respond to this story’s interview questions as a group. So I sent them the questions beforehand, they filled out their responses asynchronously, and then we interviewed and photographed the cooperative’s chosen representatives, Samantha and D, on location.

Less than a block from the 12th street BART station, Moments is a small but vibrant bookshop across from The Oakland Tribune. Red picnic tables form a parklet in front of the cooperative which can accommodate overflow from the events they host inside. Just inside the front door, a sign on a cart states that masks are required and offers free masks along with hand sanitizer. 

The first floor is cozy. A small couch provides a homey space to spend time. Zines and new and used books line the walls. Most of the books are centered on social justice issues and feature queer and/or trans authors of color. Upstairs there is a room with a table and chairs where artists and writers can gather to create, and activists can organize. This is also where they host artist and writer residencies.

 

During our interview, Samantha shared the cooperative’s history. When they saw this building was vacant in 2020, they wanted to salvage it from the clutches of gentrification that often claim downtown real estate. They successfully crowdsourced funding to secure the space and opened in March 2020.

That is, they opened just as the pandemic shut everything down. So, to protect the community from COVID, they sold books through contactless pick-up. As lockdowns eased, they expanded to in-person sales and hosting the event space. At this time, masking was still the norm among area businesses. However, soon other businesses around them dropped protocols. The cooperative members met and decided, collectively, to maintain protective measures like masking. Why? “Our community and the deep desire we have to keep everyone safe, and to make our space as accessible as possible.” 

In addition to protecting community members, several members of the collective are disabled themselves. They share that they will be continuing these protocols into the foreseeable future, as, “even if there were a cure for COVID tomorrow, there is still RSV, flu, colds” that can endanger disabled and immunocompromised people.

D, who is disabled, said, while some view masks as oppressive, “masks make me feel safer, more free.” Samantha added that “it’s odd it is not a cultural norm. I think it speaks to individualism.” D agreed. “I’m from the Japanese American community, where masking is the norm. We have elders, and masking is part of protecting our elders.”

And, like other businesses interviewed for this story, it appears that their protective measures work. They regularly host events and hold meetings with the cooperative members. Yet, to their knowledge, no illness transmission has occurred at Moments.

Not all customers agree with the masking protocols, though. For example, one time a customer was wearing a mask in the store below their chin. A cooperative member requested they please pull up their mask. The customer left instead. 

Later, however, that same customer returned to purchase two books. This time they were properly wearing the mask over their nose and mouth. The customer asked, “Is it a collective decision to continue masking? Isn’t it a bit ostracizing to ask customers to be masked?” The cooperative member politely explained the rationale behind the policy, including the risks COVID-19 and other illnesses pose, reminding the customer that protecting the community is a value of Moments Cooperative. This customer has not raised the issue again. D shares that, when members respond to criticism about masking requirements with “gentle education,” customers generally respond well.

Moments cooperative members have not encountered the vitriol faced by some of the other businesses interviewed for this story. When asked why they thought this was, Samantha and D shared that “the customers who come here are already thinking about equity. We are already framed as a business that follows the Disability Justice framework.” And because they opened during COVID, and have maintained these protocols continuously, there is not a “before COVID” crowd to placate.

In fact, most customers respond warmly to their masking policy. Heartwarming responses include “immunocompromised customers thanking us personally for requiring masks as we are the very few and limited storefronts they can safely enter and shop.” In terms of the activism events they host, customers have shared comments like “I couldn’t make it out to the big Justice for Palestine event in San Francisco even though I wanted to, because no one was masking. But because you require masks, I feel safe participating in the events here.” 

The positive impact of these protective measures ripples throughout the community. D shared that several of the writer and artist residents had stopped masking in their daily lives. However, upon encountering the masking requirements at Moments, and the rationale for them, these creatives go on to then institute COVID-safe protocols at other events they host.

Indeed, it seems as if downtown Oakland is a relatively COVID-safe ecosystem of businesses where the community works together to protect each other. The Moments Cooperative members collectively recommended several nearby COVID-safe businesses (see complete list at the bottom of this story). One of these businesses, Rasa Cafe, will re-open across the street from Moments in January 2024. This business will also require masks. Those who mourn the loss of the bookstore/cafe experience due to lack of COVID-safety (like me) will once again be able to get their fix by shopping for books at Moments, picking up a coffee at Rasa, then enjoying their treats at one of Moments’ outdoor picnic tables.

 

Until Rasa Cafe opens, Samantha and D recommended we check out Understory Cafe for lunch. All staff at this restaurant mask and they have a small outdoor area for people who do not feel comfortable eating indoors, given customers indoors remove masks to eat. We ordered to go and took our treats back to the car to eat (while the food was good, the ube horchata was an absolute delight).

In much of the neighborhood between Understory and Moments, masking is still the norm. Many of the stores we passed, including art galleries, acupuncture clinics, and grocery stores, displayed “Masks Required” signs on their windows and entry doors. Patrons inside appeared to be abiding by the signs. Many of those walking down the street wore masks.

Downtown Oakland  seems like a rare  oasis of accessibility for those of us who still care about our health and the health of our communities. And spaces like Moments appear to be seeding such ecosystems of care. They embody the spirit of disability justice. Or, in the words of the cooperative members, “We are so happy to be able to provide the space we do, to hold it down for immunocompromised and disabled people. And we are so grateful to the overall community for their support and love. We hope that other businesses and events will come back to COVID safety and protocols in order to keep their populations safe ❣️”

Dr. Timothy R. Farley, DDS (Dublin)

 

What services they provide: dental cleaning and check-ups, oral surgery, minor orthodontics, veneers, and restorative services

Location: 8265 Village Parkway, Suite F Dublin CA 94568

Hours: Tuesday through Thursday 8am to 5pm

Website: Farley Dental Care Phone: (925) 833-8783

COVID protocols: universal masking for patients and staff, window-exhaust ventilation; HEPA filters in each room, UV-c disinfection after each patient, an aerosol-containment room for procedures which generate high amounts of aerosols (such as drilling), and many other protections. 

On the other side of the East Bay, Dr. Farley’s office is in a modest professional building on the border of San Ramon. When entering the premises, patients are greeted with a hand sanitizer station and a friendly reminder that masking is still required here. This matches the “Current Coronavirus Information” on their website, which is updated regularly to reflect current COVID conditions and to provide information about protective protocols.

The reception room is small and cozy. Ashley at the front desk welcomes patients. When patients enter without masks, she seamlessly hands them blue surgical masks, which, while less protective than an N95, are shown to function somewhat effectively as source-control. Air purifiers whir quietly in most rooms of the office, which is never very busy because the practice is so small: just Dr. Farley, Ashley, a hygienist and assistant. All staff, when I visited, were wearing KN95 masks or better. Most times I have gone in for dental care, I am the only patient in the reception room because patients are quickly whisked into well-ventilated exam rooms.

Farley proudly describes the meticulous steps he takes to keep patients and staff safe. Set into the window is a dual fan unit that includes intake and exhaust settings. He shows how when he flips the switch, the flexible door between the exam room and communal area snaps open and shut. This demonstrates how air is vacuumed out the window to help mitigate the spread of aerosols produced during dental procedures. These exam rooms also feature a MERV 13 air filter that pulls air in and subjects it to UV-c light before releasing it back into the room. Finally, once a procedure is complete and the staff and patient have left the room, the entire room is treated with a separate UV-c device (ozone producing) or chlorine compound mist for sanitation purposes. 

The drilling room, which produces the most aerosols, features an industrial-sized fan that looks like something out of a spaceship. This pulls the aerosols from the room as they are produced, then runs them through a MERV-15 filter. 

When explaining the reasons for these thorough protocols, Farley explains his 91-year-old mother is “frail” with multiple underlying conditions. Her elderly neighbor, with whom she shared a caregiver, succumbed to COVID.

“And I’m no spring chicken myself,” Farley laughs, “I’m 62 and need to lose some pounds. I was hospitalized from bacterial pneumonia when I was younger. It’s not worth the risk.” 

Plus, he feels it is his duty to protect patients. When I transferred to Farley’s office for my own dental care as a disabled patient at high-risk for severe COVID outcomes, I explained how I had to quit three different dentists because they removed COVID-mitigation protocols, without notifying patients. Further, they refused to provide me reasonable accommodations, arguably in violation of the ADA. Farley responded that, sadly, this is a common story: many other patients have switched to his practice for the same reasons.

“I am a bit disappointed in my fellow dentists for not protecting patients.”

In fact, two of his patients drive all the way from near the Oregon border because they are immunocompromised and require safety measures like universal masking. “Couldn’t you find a closer dentist?” he asked them. “We tried. There are none.” 

While some businesses interviewed for this article faced loss of customers due to their continued protocols, Farley stated that, with customers seeking him out specifically for his protocols, he has been just as busy as ever since many health care providers, ironically, have eschewed safety protocols. And his diligence has paid off: while other healthcare institutions who dropped COVID-safety protocols have suffered frequent outbreaks, to his knowledge, there have been no outbreaks nor reported infections at his practice. This is a testament to the efficacy of Farley’s rigorous protections, as dentistry is one of the highest risk medical fields when it comes to COVID and other respiratory virus transmission.

What about pushback? Farley shared that, in general, people are happy to follow the protocols: even those who believe COVID is a “hoax” will don a mask when asked politely. “When you say please, people will do it,” he explained. Only one patient refused to follow safety protocols. This long-time patient, who Farley has treated for decades, told Farley he didn’t “believe in any of this COVID stuff.” Farley told the patient, “If you or I knowingly don’t take precautions, and we infect my mom and she dies, that’s murder. I don’t want to be responsible for her demise, and I know you don’t either. Please wear a mask.” And the patient did. “For anyone else I wouldn’t do this, but for you I will.”

 

As for those who have been let down by other dentists dropping protocols, Farley says he has no plans to drop current safety measures. And he is open to suggestions for improvement. Another COVID-cautious patient took CO2 readings in the office and shared the readings with Farley, pleased with the efficacy of the ventilation system. Inspired by this patient, Farley recently purchased an Aranet 4 CO2 monitor for his office.

“If I can take steps to protect patients, why wouldn’t I?”

Cecilia’s Petsitting | Cecilia Senocak Photography (Sonoma County | Oakland)

What services they provide: in-home pet care for dogs, cats, and other critters, including overnights and drop-ins | photography, including but not limited to headshots, branding, and weddings; specializes in gender-affirming headshots and queer wedding photography

Location: Multiple locations available for photo sessions. For pet sitting, they come to your home in Sonoma County and Oakland

Websites: Cecilia’s Pet Sitting | Cecilia Senocak Photography

COVID-safe protocols: N95 or KN95 masking for indoor photography events and client meet-and-greets, and outdoors or around pets by request; practices low-risk behaviors outside of work to lower risk for clients, open to other protocols by request.

When first interviewing Cecilia Senocak over Zoom, a cute fluffy white terrier hopped into their lap, rolling onto his back for belly pets. While providing scritches, Senocak explained that pet sitting is a kind of homecoming for them, since it was their first job as a child. Later, they became a photographer, first providing headshots on the Broadway scene in New York, then mostly wine country weddings once they moved to California. However, once COVID struck, weddings became prime infection vectors. So they mostly pivoted to pet sitting as a safer alternative. This allows them to earn an income to support the type of photography they actually want to do: that which aligns with their values, such as when Santa Rosa Junior College’s Petaluma Campus hired Senocak to provide gender-affirming portraits for queer students.

“When I turn the camera and show them some of the previews for the first time, that feels like a purposeful and personally very motivating and sweet experience. In both photography and pet sitting there is a healing aspect. With pet sitting, a lot of people have had folks in their home who don’t treat their animals well. I like these niches where I can bring a real sense of care for animals and humans.”

This thread of care wove through Senocak’s interview responses. They shared that retaining COVID protocols is part of their disability justice praxis. “Disability justice is the core of all justice,” they explained, “The disabled community has the least amount of assets legally, and the least considered socially. Any issue boils down to disability support and acceptance. I feel like I learn a lot from the disabled community. It’s just such a shame to see people who generally seem concerned about the world not caring about people who have been robbed of what we know to look like a life for the past almost 4 years.” And Senocak hopes that, by providing COVID-safe options, disabled people can get back at least a little bit of that life. The disability justice movement, founded in the Bay Area, has clearly influenced businesses here and beyond.

For the few weddings they still photograph, they wear a well-fitted N95 Aura respirator and do not remove it, save to step outside and drink water. “In an industry where people don’t care about [protecting disabled and immunocompromised people] I am bringing low exposure to every photography session because I don’t go indoors unmasked and have not eaten in a restaurant for over three years now. I don’t go to big events.” 

In terms of pet sitting precautions, “I schedule a meet and greet before accepting an overnight gig so I can make sure that the animals and I feel good together, that the home feels good to me, and I require everyone wears a mask indoors [during this meeting].” They have also had immunocompromised clients in the past who requested they mask in the home around the animals, and Senocak warmly obliged.

In addition to protecting others, they share that COVID-protocols are necessary to protect themselves. If they get sick, they will lose their income. “I have ADHD, so long COVID is scary.” People with ADHD are more likely to catch COVID and, if they acquire it, it is more likely to result in severe illness. Senocak worries that, should they acquire long-COVID, it will exacerbate their existing chronic illnesses and prevent them from being able to perform their job. “If I were to get even a few months of brain fog, even mild COVID, that could significantly impact my work and life. It’s not only that there are no protocols to protect us, but also no net to catch us after the protocols fail us. It’s cruel and evil.” Like the other business owners interviewed for this article, Senocak has no plans to remove COVID protocols anytime soon. 

Some customers have pushed back against Senocak’s protocols. During one pet sitting gig, Senocak explained on the intake phone call the same thing they do for every new client: that during the meet and greet, masking would be required. The client refused, stating “as per the CDPH [California Department of Public Health] we are no longer masking.” Senocak responded: “If you’re not able to follow my wellness protocol, we can cancel.” And they did. 

Another time they were shooting a large wedding when they heard a cough. It was one of the bride’s family members. Senocak asked the cougher if they were okay, to which they responded “I’m fine” hoarsely. Senocak then learned that the bride also had a fever. So they pulled the groom aside, saying, “Hey, it sounds like maybe these people have COVID. Do you think there is anyone in town who can bring masks to your guests?” They did not, and the wedding proceeded without any precautions. A day or two later, the family texted Senocak: “Sorry to inform you that you were right, we all have COVID.” The wedding included elderly and other vulnerable family members.

Senocak wants those who stopped masking to know that “Masking solidarity is important because even if you’re not worried about yourself getting sick, it’s important to signal to others and care for them so they feel safe. It’s about community care. It’s showing other people who don’t have the same freedoms that they are safe to enter that grocery store. It shouldn’t be radical, but it is wildly radical these days. I don’t know what happened between last year and this year. Masking was more normal a year ago.”

As for those high-risk for COVID, Senocak offers words of hope: “I want anybody to feel safe and comfortable coming to me for business. I am happy to take any precautions that they would prefer. And to encourage fellow COVID-cautious people to challenge their burnout to find community, to remind themselves they are not alone. It’s difficult but it’s important to continue to keep ourselves and each other safe. We will never regret that. That will make me feel so comfortable if I come to your business or shop to know people are looking out for me too.”

Illusive Comics and Games, LLC (Santa Clara)

 

What services they provide: They sell comics, games, and related merchandise; host an open game room; facilitate an after-school Dungeons and Dragons club as well as Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, and Lorcana events weekly and a Dungeons and Dragons summer camp.

Location: 5245 Stevens Creek Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95051

Hours: 7 days a week, 11am-7pm; Fridays 11am-9pm

Website: Illusive Comics & Games

COVID protocols: Universal masking hours (11am-12pm), they provide surgical masks for free, always require masks in the event area and at table-top gaming events, and offer online shopping for high-risk customers who cannot shop in-person

Representing the South Bay, Illusive Comics and Games is a happening spot. A relatively modest entrance hides a just-over-6,000 square foot comic and games store and table-top-gaming events arena. Every store surface is stuffed with brightly colored comic and game merchandise. Sales associates buzz about the store, KN95s forming just another part of their uniforms. 

Illusive owner Anna Warren has been in the comics business since 2003 and has headed Illusive since 2007. In a comics and games industry dominated by men, Warren forged a way for herself through multiple barriers. Right after she bought the business, the recession hit. Then her son was born with significant disabilities. Her son’s school district refused to honor his needed disability accommodations. So, after years of fighting for his rights, she decided to homeschool him and figure out a way to run a physical retail business from home so that she could attend to his needs. Despite all these struggles, Warren has managed to not only stay in business, but thrive. As she says, “4% of comic bookstore owners are women. And I have outlasted something like 8 stores in my 9-mile competitive vicinity in the 16.5 years that I’ve owned this shop.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered businesses in 2020, this posed yet another existential threat to Illusive. The table-top gaming events, which had grown into a key revenue stream, had to stop. Warren credits comic book sales as saving the business. “Comic book collectors have to have their comics every week no matter what. They kept us in business. While we couldn’t have people in the store, we would ring them and then stick our arm out the door [with bags of comic books]. [That], shipping, and deliveries kept the store alive.”

When the public health entities and governments relaxed COVID-safety protocols, and allowed in-person sales to resume, this posed another challenge for Illusive: health risks to customers, employees, and their families. Warren states that her store has a lot of regular customers “with cancer, or recovering from cancer, and they need to be in a really healthy environment.” She states that the demographics of comics and game fans tend to include a lot of disabled people particularly vulnerable to COVID. Most of her staff are autistic, and therefore at high risk for severe COVID outcomes. Several are immunocompromised. Her own son is high-risk for severe COVID, so she worries about bringing illness home. Warren herself has disabilities.

For these reasons, Illusive retained COVID protocols, like regularly testing and universal masking, much longer than surrounding businesses. However, as other stores dropped their protections, anti-mask harassment became increasingly ugly at Illusive. 

“We were 100% masking all the time, all my staff had to be up to date on boosters,” Warren explained, “And then three weeks ago or so [in November 2023], I changed the masking policy because there is just a tremendous amount of pressure from one-star reviewers online. And my staff getting cursed at, like really badly cursed at by customers who just are anti-mask.”

This placed Warren in a difficult position. She felt that she had to drop the protocols to protect her staff from harassment and to keep her business afloat. On the other hand, she feels that her protocols were working to protect customers. While there was a small COVID outbreak among staff at one point, she feels universal masking prevented further spread among staff and successfully shielded customers. To her knowledge, there have been no customers who acquired COVID at her store.

So, she tried to institute a compromise: masked hours during the first hour of the day, 11am-12pm. She also requires masking at all events since regular customers don’t seem to care about this requirement. And she has her immunocompromised employees manage social media from home, or work in the back of the store away from exposure to unmasked customers. But the feeling of guilt persists.

“When I have customers come in and they are like ‘thank you so much, it means so much to me to have masking policies.’ I just feel bad about removing those things.” Then she has customers who come in and complain about the mandatory masking hours, asking “who still masks?” To this Warren responds, “You know, people who like to think of other peoples’ health. It’s a community thing. And community is deeply important to me and the shop.”

Given these community values, Warren says she has no plans to drop current protections. The additional winter surge of other respiratory illnesses provides further justification for keeping masking policies in place. “I know how bad RSV is, and so it’s a whole other reason to keep the masking precautions we can.”

While conducting the interview for this story, it was during the mask required hours. When one customer walked in without a mask, employee Danae directed them to the free masks. The customer accepted the mask provided and donned it without complaint. Soon after, another customer was overheard telling an Illusive staff member “I was over at Harbor Freight and saw the open door and thought I would come look.” The staff member told him about the mask requirement as well. This customer similarly masked without complaint. So it seems, at least from this brief observation, that Warren’s compromise is working.

As for the hateful YELP reviews? Warren shares some advice to fellow business owners who face harassment for their COVID protocols: “Very fortunately, YELP added a way to flag reviews as a business owner. So you can flag [negative] reviews for COVID safety features. YELP has been astonishingly helpful in removing those. So I still flag all reviews that are just about masking. That’s not about my store experience, that’s you having an issue being healthy.”

For those who wish to support COVID-safe businesses, Warren asks the COVID-safe community to shop at her store. “Comic and game stores are a great place to find very affordable entertainment for the whole family. It’s way more affordable than the movies. Check out your local comic and games store. And support small businesses!” 

They provide online shopping options for those who cannot safely shop in person.

Key Takeaways

For some businesses, requiring masks seems to impact their bottom line, or at least result in bad reviews and harassment of employees holding the line. However, others show it does not have to. As Moments Cooperative and Dr. Farley DDS show, D’s concept of “gentle education” seems to work well in helping establish shared community values. Downtown Oakland forms a symbiotic oasis of relative COVID-safety, with clusters of businesses still employing COVID-safe protocols and recommending customers to one another. 

It would behoove those who care about community and public health to support these businesses. If you’re a business who has dropped COVID-safety protocols, consider re-incorporating them as respiratory-illness rates rise in the Bay Area. These five businesses model how it can, and should, be done.

Other Businesses

There are several other businesses still practicing COVID-safe protocols. These businesses did not make it into the article due to deadline and space constraints. But, at the time of publication, their COVID-safety protocols were in effect according to customers recommending them and/or the businesses themselves. Please contact the business directly to confirm their current protocols.

• Dr. David Canton, Animal Ophthalmologist (Vacaville)
  • Universal masking (for humans), free masks.
• Parkour Coach Kevin (Berkeley)
  • Universal masking, even outdoors; parkour coach tests for COVID regularly to reduce transmission risk.
• Tune Up Community Acupuncture (Oakland)
  • Universal masking, limits numbers of patients per day to minimize traffic and exposure.
• Oakland Acupuncture Project (Oakland)
  • Employees mask, optional for customers, “HEPA, UV, [and] Charcoal filters” for improved air quality.
• Understory Cafe (Oakland)
  • All staff mask. Provide free masks to customers, but do not require them while eating indoors. Outdoor seating area. 
• Rasa Caffe is reopening in January 2024 (Oakland)
  • Will require universal masking.
• East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest, or EBABZ, takes place once per year in December (Oakland)
  • Universal masking, eating outdoors only, COVID-test reporting, ventilated indoors spaces.
• Amor Eterno Tattoo & Art Gallery (Oakland)
  • Universal masking
• Red Kestrel Tattoo (San Francisco)
  • Tattoo artists will mask on request and book high-risk customers on days where there is only one artist in the building to minimize traffic and exposure.

About

Heather Ringo is a PhD Candidate at UC Davis. Previously a co-founder of the UAW 2865 Disability Justice Committee, she has since taken a break from union organizing to focus on her dissertation, Burning Muir: Romanticism, Racism, and Fire Policy in California Parks. This project examines California State and National Parks’ fire exclusion policies as a white nationalist project premised upon eugenics ideology and Romantic aesthetics of the Sublime. Previously, she co-authored an OER textbook,  Writing and Critical Thinking Through Literature. Her essays have appeared in Tasteful Rude and Disability/Visibility, and her poetry in Nostos and Educe. Once upon a time she wrote for Drink Me Magazine and The Tobacco Valley News. She aspires to publish her fiction.

Attribution

The images in this story, provided by Brian Ringo Photography, are licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Dr. Farley, Cecilia Senocak, Bay-Made, and Illusive Comics and Games were highly recommended by the Still COVIDing, Bay Area Edition Facebook group.

 

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