The graduation party cake orders arrived as they always do in late spring, but this year they were different.

Customers wanted small round cakes — just enough to feed eight or 10 people, Vienna Bakery's Missy Laplante noticed. But orders for the large sheet cakes, the ones designed to feed 20, 30 or even more people, were missing.

That is just how it is, Ms. Laplante said: Smaller graduation parties means smaller graduation cakes.

But Ms. Laplante and the folks at Vienna Bakery are not complaining. She said the business has been one of the lucky local shops, able to weather the coronavirus pandemic economic storm better than many others.

"We've been pretty steady" with business, Ms. Laplante said. "And our customers have been really great."

The Barrington bakery has thrived for generations, offering consistent products that people in town and beyond have come to expect: Italian bread (small loaves and big loaves), pastries, pizza, spinach pies, and plenty more. The family-owned bakery is also well-known for its cakes — customers can walk in and choose one from a display case or they can order one ahead of time. And when May and June arrive, so too do the orders for graduation cakes. The bigger the party, the bigger the cake.

But with limitations on social gatherings, many people are ordering the smaller round cakes.

That is just one of the more subtle differences at Vienna Bakery during the current situation. There are other much more obvious changes too: Workers and customers wearing masks, the hand sanitizer stations, the limit on how many customers are allowed into the bakery at one time.

Ms. Laplante said all the tables have been removed from the inside of the bakery, allowing for more open space. It helps customers and staff feel more comfortable.

"We don't want any customers to not feel safe," she said.

Vienna Bakery's wholesale business has been hit especially hard. Normally, the bakery sells its bread to restaurants up and down the East Bay.

"We work with a lot of restaurants that had to close," Ms. Laplante said, adding that many Bristol restaurants had temporarily closed.

Some of those restaurants are starting to open up again, but not all.

Always open

Bluewater Bar and Grill has weathered the storm, but it has not been easy.

Bluewater owner Brian Thimme said he was not sure what to do when the crisis began, the schools closed and people were ordered to stay at home.

"Those first couple of weeks, I think everyone was trying to figure out what's the right thing to do," Mr. Thimme said.

He made some big changes inside the restaurant to keep his staff safe, and Bluewater switched to take-out orders only.

Mr. Thimme was not sure what to expect those first few days and weeks: Would his customers still be there? Would the restaurant staff feel safe enough to keep working? How hard would the situation hit the restaurant's bottom line?

Mr. Thimme said Bluewater's customers showed unbelievable loyalty, placing orders right from the start and giving handsome tips to the workers.

Troy Price, Bluewater's manager, said many of the staff were very grateful that the restaurant stayed open. He thanked Mr. Thimme for working hard to find a way to keep the business going, and the customers for placing orders each night.

"The guests felt comfortable because they knew we would take every precaution," Mr. Price said.

The take-out only approach cut into Bluewater's stellar start to 2020. After enjoying its best year ever in 2019, Bluewater started 2020 strong.

"We were on track to beat last year," Mr. Thimme said.

But after a great January and February, everything changed. In addition to losing its indoor dining (and bar receipts which are crucial to restaurants), Bluewater also lost its in-house events, such as small receptions, gatherings and parties.

"That all died," Mr. Thimme said.

Take-out has kept Bluewater afloat during these last couple of months, and business picked up a bit when the governor moved the state into "Phase I" which allowed for limited outdoor dining. Bluewater put up a tent over half of its patio tables and expanded more outdoor seating along the left side of the restaurant.

On June 1, Bluewater was scheduled to re-open its dining room, limiting the capacity to 50 percent. The restaurant is reservation-only for the time being, and Mr. Thimme is looking forward to bringing back certain offerings in the future — he mentioned Sunday brunch and catering — when more of the state's economy is reopened.

"Hopefully we can get back to where we were," Mr. Thimme said.

As for the restaurant's menu, most of its signature dishes have remained and about a week ago, Bluewater shifted to its summer menu offerings.

Built for takeout

Tim Gorman made the decision early on that his restaurant, Bagels Etc., was going to remain open.

Like other restaurants, Bagels Etc. shifted to curbside pickup and take-out options, and Mr. Gorman said his shop will likely remain that way despite the move to allow some limited indoor dining starting on June 1.

"I'd rather keep it the way it is," Mr. Gorman said, adding that his indoor space would only allow for a few customers to eat-in. He was also concerned that a more crowded interior may leave his staff and some customers feeling less comfortable.

The shift to curbside and take-out only have worked well for the local bagel shop. Mr. Gorman said people call in or email their orders ahead of time and pay when they're ordering. Customers then pull their cars into the parking lot and a member of the Bagels Etc. team runs the order out to the waiting vehicle.

People can still stop in to the bagel shop without calling ahead, said Mr. Gorman. He has arranged the interior in such a way to keep people spaced out at a safe distance from one another as they order and then receive their food.

"We're built for takeout," Mr. Gorman said.

"We encourage people to wait outside for their orders."

Mr. Gorman has seen many of his store's regular customers continue to stop in, as well as some new faces. He also knows that there are still some people who are not ready to return to their normal routines.

"There's a whole segment of society that hasn't left their house yet," he said.

Mr. Gorman said that it has been difficult to predict how busy a day will be. There have been some days when he had expected the restaurant to be a bit slow only to find a non-stop flow of customers. On other days, the shop may be a bit slower than expected.

"There's really no rhyme or reason to it," he said, "when normally you could predict it."

Mr. Gorman said business has been a bit off during the economic shutdown, but he has managed to keep all his staff on board throughout.

Mr. Gorman wanted to remind people that Bagels Etc. has changed its hours — the restaurant is now open daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Great time to garden

Hidden Gardens was closed for about six weeks as the governor ordered all non-essential businesses to close down early on. But on May 7, the local garden and gift shop reopened its doors.

An improvement with the weather coupled with a population of people anxious two get outside their homes led to brisk business. According to one of the shop's owners, business has been very busy although she is not sure it will compensate for the lost time when the store was closed.

The County Road business — "hidden" between Piezoni's restaurant and the Mott and Chace Sotheby's International real estate office — has welcomed back many of its regular customers as well as some new ones.

They also received a surprise visit from the state, as an inspector arrived unannounced to ensure the business was following social distancing and face covering guidelines. Owners of Hidden Gardens said they passed with flying colors.

The local garden shop may be benefitting from a move by customers away from the big box garden shops and home improvement stores. Hidden Gardens's owners said the location of their store is also convenient for people who do not want to travel too far these days.

Agents adjust

Retail sales and restaurants were not the only businesses impacted by the economic downturn: Home sales across Barrington also decreased during the last few months.

According to Mott and Chace Sotheby's Manager David Coleman, there are far fewer homes on the market this spring. Typically, this is one of the busiest times of the year to sell or buy a home, but many people who might have otherwise listed their homes have refrained from doing so.

"There's a real lack of inventory," Mr. Coleman said, estimating that the market may be down by 30 or 40 percent.

Mr. Coleman said there are a number of reasons for the drop-off, and one of the biggest is that people did not want other folks entering their homes.

"We did virtual tours," Mr. Coleman said, "but it's just not the same."

Mr. Coleman said many sellers opted against holding open houses, and when someone did hold a showing by appointment, there were numerous restrictions in place: People can walk through a home but they were not to touch anything.

"Everything is a little more involved," Mr. Coleman said, referencing home inspections and property closings.

Mr. Coleman said this is actually a great time to buy a home, as there are some "incredibly attractive" interest rates available. Mr. Coleman said the local real estate market started strong in 2020 — January and February saw a robust market with numerous sales.

"We thought March would tick up," he said.

But instead everything slowed down. Most of March, all of April and the better part of May showcased a slowdown. Mr. Coleman said there has been a slight upturn very recently, however, which serves as an encouraging sign for agents. He said there is some optimism that the market will continue to strengthen through June and into early July.

"With the sellers, it all comes down to motivation," Mr. Coleman said. "I think as inventory starts to increase there will be more buyers."

Mr. Coleman said the last few months have been particularly difficult for agents as they have been locked out of their offices and disconnected a bit from their in-person networks. He said there have been virtual meetings, but those seem to lack the personal connection agents have enjoyed in the past.

Mr. Coleman said agents were excited to welcome the reopening of their offices on June 1.

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