The latest economic victim of the COVID-19 virus in Perry is the Trailside Cafe, a restaurant planned in the Dryher Grocery building, the former site of LeRoy’s Plumbing on Second Street in downtown Perry.
Janice Brinton Patrick and Randy Patrick of Perry announced last September their plans for a May grand opening after some major remodeling of the 1,500-square-foot building, built in 1895 and owned since last October by “Jumping” Jim Woodsmall of Johnston.
“We were renovating the building at 1018 Second St.,” Janice Patrick said Sunday on Facebook, “then COVID-19 hit.”
Plans for renewing the exterior facade were slated to be presented to the Perry Historic Preservation Commission at its June meeting but were withdrawn. Patrick said social-distancing rules did not pencil out in a way that would put the business in the black.
“There wouldn’t be enough seating to keep six feet apart and have enough turnaround to pay for renovations,” she said. Patrick planned “to serve ice cream, home-cooked meals and great desserts and breakfast,” and there appears still to be a hunger in Perry for such fare.
Social distancing may have been a concern but based on my unscientific observation of trail usage at the Herndon trail junction, there are not as many bicyclists riding on the trail. Maybe in Perry trail usage is back to normal, but there are no organized events nor families just out biking around here. Their potential customer base is much lower right now with the lesser use, so even with social distancing they’d struggle to have a full house. I really do not see the number of bicyclists on the trail that they would need for a venture like that to be successful right now.