Businesses ready to spring up

Gov. Jay Inslee’s made an unexpected gift to the state Feb. 10: the state’s Department of Health found all regions meeting metrics showing control of the coronavirus. Just like that, every county was in Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery from COVID-19.

Inslee was quick with that announcement, but the state has not posted end of January data in what was supposed to be the two week report update.

Still, a look at Skagit County’s February COVID-19 cases reported by Skagit Public Health show a dramatic decline in new infections. There will be fewer than 300 news cases in our shortest month if the trend holds this last week. That is at least a 60% decline from the 768 new infections in January. It will be under 30% of December’s 1,082 new cases.

We are not out of the woods yet. It is uncertain if the light at the end of the tunnel is the end of the tunnel or is an oncoming train wreck of mutant coronavirus variants bearing down upon us, a massive fourth wave that will soak our resistance and swamp us all.

Meanwhile, tourists continue to make La Conner a vibrant weekend destination. Restaurants are looking toward their third weekend with indoor seating. When Town staff report February’s tax revenues in two weeks, they are likely to show that tourists love La Conner. They did not stay overnight much and could not eat inside, but they shopped and they spent. Sales tax revenues in the Town’s 2020 budget summary show they were only down 10% and beat 2019’s totals for August-October.

Not every business or nonprofit is still standing a year after the coronavirus pandemic came to our shores, but most are. Some dozen merchants closed – and for a variety of reasons, not just lack of sales – but almost that many new businesses are open or will be soon. While it is always great to welcome new stores and restaurants and give attention and a shout out to them, our more profound thanks and admiration needs to go to the many businesses that are open again this month, as they were in February 2020.

We need to applaud the gritty, stubborn owners still standing on both First and Morris streets. They have kept their lights on, their doors open and their staffs employed.

Everyone has struggled. Not everyone has survived, but almost all of our tourist businesses have, including the inns, lodges and bed and breakfasts. Those establishments have had perhaps the hardest time powering through, but they have.

This year seems better, visitors wise. There are a lot of “everyones” who want to get out of Seattle for the day. La Conner continues to be a primary draw. Daffodils and tulips are coming up. Given non-extreme weather, their blooming will bring people to town. If there is extreme weather, people wanting to get out of their town for a day will still come to this one.

Business growth is still not certain. The pandemic is not nearly over. But consider this: January’s sales tax revenues, which report last November’s collections, were up 56% from 2019.

People do love La Conner. Like the swallows returning to the Mission San Juan Capistrano, tourists will come back. Indeed, they never really left; they just slowed their pace.