SPOKANE, Wash. — On a normal day, The Grain Shed in Spokane's Perry District is filled with people relaxing, listening to music and — of course — eating bread.
But the once-busy bakery and brewery on East Newark Avenue is now empty since Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed an emergency proclamation to temporarily shut down bars and restaurants
"It's just shock," said brewer and owner Teddy Benson.
The restaurant's team is still coming in every morning to make bread and prepare food for take-out.
A vegetarian dinner will be available on Wednesday, Thursday will be meatballs with marinara, and pork loin will be served on Friday, Benson said. And the list goes on.
"We've been so well served by our neighborhood, by our community. We want to be able to provide meals that are affordable for families really," he added.
That's exactly why many people are turning to local businesses like The Grain Shed, especially when they are seeing empty shelves at chain stores.
On their first day of take-out, Benson said the business actually did fairly well.
"We actually saw a lot of large bread purchases in the morning," he said.
it is that business that helps keep them afloat during this confusing time.
"We're all paid based on bringing people to our locations for the most part, so without that it's a really challenging thing to even process and plan for," Benson said.
"Everyone's just kind of dumbfounded with this," he added later.
