Coronavirus Update: Minnesota's Largest Candy Store To Reopen This Weekend

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's Largest Candy Store is preparing to reopen this weekend while many other businesses in Minnesota remain closed to in-store customers under the state's stay-at-home order.

The store, a bright yellow building located along Highway 169 southwest of the Twin Cities, is planning to open for the season on Friday. In videos posted on Facebook, owner Robert Wagner says that measures have been taken to keep customers and workers safe, such as putting up plastic partitions at the checkout counter.

"This year is going to be different, obviously, because of the COVID-19," he said, in the video. "So, in preparation for opening, we have been instituting a lot of safety steps."

Wagner told The Southwest Journal that he'll have about five team members whose shifts will be dedicated to cleaning and sanitizing, wiping down baskets and carts, as well as various areas of the store.

While the store can hold nearly 650 people, Wagner told the newspaper that he'll only let in up to 200 customers at a time, so as to allow for social distancing. He also said the store has undergone some remodeling so that customers can give each other six feet of space, per social distancing guidelines.

Earlier this week, Gov. Tim Walz allowed some retailers to reopen for curbside pickup, the latest revision to his stay-at-home order. Still, since the beginning of the outbreak, grocery stores and retailers like Target have remained open, as they were deemed essential.

Wagner told The Southwest Journal that his store got the OK to open from the governor's office weeks ago after he met with officials to give an overview of his business and its ongoing agricultural operations. The candy store is also an apple farm and is only open seasonally.

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