As pandemic restrictions eased last summer, Fredericksburg’s downtown businesses looked forward to reopening safely, and the university was there to help. Fredericksburg Main Street teamed up with UMW faculty members to craft a survey to develop the “Reboot Downtown! Initiative” to guide store owners as they prepared spaces and staff to safely reopen.
Professors involved in creating the questionnaire were Leslie Martin, director of the Center for Community Engagement; Kashef Majid, associate professor of marketing; and Dave Kolar, professor of psychology.
The feedback was used to develop an overall plan and guidelines, though there was no one date that all downtown shops reopened. Each business was to follow government guidance to ensure safety and the implementation of best practices.
