Nearly every job in the District has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Some people are working from their homes instead of going into an office; others have taken pay cuts or lost their jobs entirely. But there are plenty of people who are still doing their work in person, even as the world has changed dramatically. This series features the voices of the “still at workers,” telling us what their lives are like right now and what they wish other people knew about being an essential worker during a pandemic.
Cherrydale Hardware, an Arlington staple that opened in 1938, has experienced a spike in business as people sheltering in place occupy themselves with home improvement projects. Jacob Pruiksma grew up going to Cherrydale with his parents. Fifteen years ago, he started working at the shop as a clerk, and now he’s the general manager.
“Some weeks you feel confident and happy, and I’m glad I have a job, and a place to come and work and help people,” says Pruiksma, 35, who lives on Columbia Pike in Arlington. “And some weeks you think, why am I doing this? Is it worth it? How at risk are all of us?”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your typical day like now? How is it different from normal?
It’s more stressful—with worrying about the future, what’s going to happen, and what would happen if an employee got sick. We’d have to close the store for a couple weeks and get tested and get through that.
Other than that, we’ve kept things very much the same; we’ve kept the same hours, and that helps with spacing people out throughout the day—so there’s not too tight a window where everybody’s got to get here and get everything done at the same time.
I work the floor most of the day. I’m up front helping customers, helping the employees, and ordering things. Right now, the scramble is for masks and hand sanitizer and cleaning products. I’ve got bleach in, and I’ve got masks in stock, and I just got a bunch of hand sanitizer this morning. This is the first time I’ve been able to get it since the end of February. Before that, we had ordered hand sanitizer once in the last year, and most of that went to normal store use.
It’s been more interesting than usual to find supplies. We have to go outside the normal folks we deal with to find companies who have this stuff and can source it.
There’s been a lot of gardening and a lot of painting since people started staying at home. We got our initial order of seeds in for the season, and when we went to reorder, the seed company was completely sold out for the year.
What kind of safety measures or PPE are you using to do your job? How are you staying safe?
We’re requiring all customers and employees to wear masks. Everybody has reusable masks here, and we have plenty of gloves for employees, as well as hand sanitizer and cleaners.
We were in the position where we sold and carried most of this stuff before. And so we were able to get enough supplies to secure our protection—our safety—here at the store. The big thing is trying to buy as much of it as we can to provide for the community.
What have your interactions been like with customers/patrons?
Everybody is handling this a little differently. We get people who come clomping in without a mask, and they have to turn around when we tell them they’ve gotta wear a mask.
We have other people who come to the door and shout at us from the doorway. They don’t want to enter; they want us to bring them whatever they want to buy. They’ll yell for something, like ant traps—well, we’ve got four or five different ant traps to try to juggle all at once to show them what we have. Some people are a little more patient than others, but that’s the way it’s always been.
We also get a lot of people who are excited and grateful that they have a store they can come to and get materials for projects at home.
How has your family been affected by your work?
I have to change clothes when I get home, and wash hands very regularly. My girlfriend is working from home right now, so me coming to work gives us some time apart.
What do you want people to know about your job?
We help people solve problems with their home. We are an essential business for plumbing issues that pop up, or electrical problems. We have soil and mulch and things you need for gardening. We’re here to help people fix their shelters as they shelter at home.
Are there ways that people can make your life/job easier?
I would say just have some patience. Everybody is going through a hard time right now, and everybody is a little stressed, and we employees are stressed too.
Previous Still at Workers:
A Pharmacist Struggles To Get Much-Needed Masks, Gloves, And Hand Sanitizer
A Sanitation Worker Says She Will Be There ‘Rain, Sleet, Or Snow’
A Janitor Hopes People Will ‘See The Sacrifice That We Custodians Are Making’
A Capitol Hill Nanny Is Still ‘Like A Third Parent’ For The Children She Cares For
A Security Guard At D.C. Police Headquarters Says ‘We’re Like Human Body Shields’
