Slowly but surely, the state of Pennsylvania is opening back up.

With the majority of the state moving to green phase, people have been ready to get back to some degree of normalcy - whether it’s going to play 18 holes with a friend, grabbing a bite to eat or buying something new for their homes.

Hager Furniture has been a staple of the Palmerton area for 62 years. After being shut down toward the end of March, the company has received a ton of support from the community.

“Once we opened up on the 24th, it was like a tsunami,” said owner Jeff Hager. “It’s been unbelievable over the last month. Up until right when we went green, everybody wore masks and kept their distance. People are still keeping their distance. Masks are optional, with it being in green. We’re not requiring it, because we don’t get a lot of people in here.”

Hager was completely shut down for about five weeks during the course of the pandemic but started doing deliveries and installations again on May 1.

“While our guys were out on the road, I was here in the store and I turned the lights on and unlocked the front door,” said Hager. “People came in. Everybody was smart about it. Everybody wore masks and kept their distance. People needed things and they came in.”

Hager Furniture has improvised during the changing times.

“One adjustment we did was bring in some disposable bed sheets for lack of a better term. When people are trying mattresses, they can lay on it if they are concerned about touching it.”

Hager said the locals were ready - ready to come out and shop.

“People in this area, it’s like they haven’t missed a beat,” Hager said. “I’m thrilled with how business has been. Customers have been great and very understanding about the time we were shut down. We were unable to do any deliveries or flooring installs for about five weeks. The customers are the best.”

Roadies Restaurant and Bar at Penn’s Peak has been open for a few weeks and is currently operating on a Friday-Sunday schedule.

“Things are going well,” said Mike Tirko, who took over as general manager of Roadies just before the COVID-19 Pandemic. “We’re doing all the social distancing. We have our patio tables upstairs and downstairs. They’re all 6 feet apart. Inside we’re also open for 50 percent capacity. Everybody seems to be happy to get out of the house. A lot of people are wanting to sit outside on the nice days and the weekends.”

Tirko said Roadies will expand its menu in the coming weeks, and also begin a Thursday wing night in the near future. “People are still required to wear masks coming in or anytime they’re getting up from the table. Once you get to the table with your group, you don’t have to wear it. As far as bigger groups, it’s kind of tough. We’ve had some people try to come in, but we’ve told them they have to sit 6 feet apart. We’re taking groups of eight or less. At the bar, it has to be four people or less. After that, they have to be 6 feet apart.”

Good luck booking a tee-time on a golf course. Golf is one of the most popular “low-risk” outdoor activities right now.

“We’ve had some great weather,” said Justin Smith, general manager of Olde Homestead Golf Club in New Tripoli. “It’s ideal for growing grass, it’s ideal for playing golf. You throw the whole COVID situation in - people want to go outside and we’re doing a lot of rounds because of it.”

However, Olde Homestead had to make changes upon initially reopening before entering the yellow phase.

“When we first reopened, at that point in time, you could only have one person in a golf cart - even if they were husband and wife or lived in the same house,” Smith said. “You could put two bags on the same cart, but one person had to walk. That was one thing we got some pushback from because people thought it was ridiculous.”

The Olde Homestead wedding venue can now host up to 25 people. “Our food and beverage including weddings and events is roughly 60 to 65 percent of our total business. Although golf is open and busy, less than 50 percent of our business is running.”