![]() Gramps has initiated table service, for the time being, the better to limit patrons' movements around the space. They take their seats in a civilized way, preparing to witness a historic event. Out on the back patio, groups of people have begun to file in. "Everyone understands the risks they are taking in leaving their house." tweet this "Still need to frame that," he says absentmindedly. The phrase, "If Columbus goes, you go," is still scrawled in black graffiti on the bar's street-facing wall - an acrylically rendered criticism of Gersten's offer in June to help take down the Christopher Columbus statue downtown. ![]() The front of the bar serves as a reminder of the heavy lifting Gersten has engaged in since March. Gersten seems to be embracing his platform as a local leader, using the bar's social-media channels to implore locals to register to vote and educate them on the candidates and giving talks alongside fellow small-business owners to call for relief for their industry. Historically, pubs were the focal points of local communities and acted as official venues for debates. Indeed, the idea that pubs and bars are supposed to be devoid of political discourse is a modern one. "Politics and religion," Fernandes responds automatically. Photo by Olivia McAuley "What are the two things you're not supposed to talk about at a bar?" Gersten asks Fernandes, who's busily prepping for drink orders. ![]() The occasion seemed doubly fitting, in that Gersten has taken a central role in local activism during the pandemic - not only around the government's COVID-related actions but also around the Black Lives Matter movement. Gramps' reopening was expedited when the Miami-Dade Democrats asked to host an official watch party at the bar for Tuesday's presidential debate, as they had done in the Before Times. "Am I scared of opening? Am I scared of COVID? Am I scared of dying? Yeah, but I also own a bar," he admits. Simultaneously, it confirms that no more financial safety nets will be coming their way and gives a sense that if businesses don't open now and hope for the best, they never will. Ultimately, he feels that the new order forces the hand of business owners. "I didn't think I would be working this year - and I still might not." tweet this "When you have an erratic federal government with no plan and erratic state government with no plan other than what the erratic federal government's plan is, this is what you get," Gersten observes. Gersten nods in agreement, adding that he feels the inevitable outcome of bars and clubs reopening will be another closure by the end of this year. ![]() "I didn't think I would be working this year," says longtime Gramps bartender John Fernandes. But for some, including bar owners like Gersten and Chris MacLeod of the Corner - the latter of whom has stated on Instagram that his bar will remain closed until the numbers show the pandemic is receding - the order provided little information about how the coming weeks will play out. The update to Giménez's New Normal Guide was met with relief from eager revelers. Ron DeSantis - announced that all bars and clubs in the county would be permitted to resume business at 50 percent capacity. Giménez abruptly - albeit with a sharp elbow from Florida Gov. Last week, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Six months later, nothing much has changed. Talking to New Times back then, he spoke emphatically about the lack of support and guidance business owners received from the city. Photo by Olivia McAuley Back in March, Gersten was ahead of the pack, shutting down Gramps before the City of Miami pushed through its emergency orders. Gersten then ran down a list of protocols in place to ensure proper hygiene. "But that doesn't mean we need to relax our standards." "At this point, the people who have chosen to be out know how things are right now," Gersten told his staff. curfew still in place, the bar had about three hours before it was required by law to close. It was already 7:30 p.m., and customers had only begun to arrive. When Gramps reopened on Tuesday night, it was a tentative affair.Īs the group shuffled into the indoor bar area - which remains off-limits to patrons - a quiet pessimism seemed to fill the air. It had been six months almost to the day since Gramps - along with every other bar, club, and other type of venue in Miami-Dade - was forced to shut its doors to the public on the order of state and local authorities. Huddled around the bar for a pre-shift meeting on Tuesday evening, Adam Gersten, owner and operator of the popular Wynwood bar Gramps, summoned his scaled-down staff to go over a few things before service commenced.
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