LEWISTON, Maine — Susan Longchamps struggled with her decision to reopen her corner store near downtown Lewiston while a shelter-in-place order remained in effect Friday after the mass shootings two days ago.
But most of the customers at Webb’s Market, located in a low-income neighborhood of the city known as the “Tree Streets,” shop daily for small amounts of goods, including one roll of toilet paper or one box of macaroni and cheese.
“I struggled because they are telling us to stay at home, and I understand why,” said Longchamps, a native of Lewiston who has owned the store for five years. “But we’re in a neighborhood that is one of the most challenging, poverty-wise, and people come in here daily to eat.”
A favorite item is the $8 prepared meals, which can serve two people, she said. Shelves of bread were already low on inventory, and she was out of milk midday Friday.
Not much is open in the neighborhood, except another small grocer, Wards Market, a few blocks away. Most retail shops remain closed around Lewiston and the streets have few cars or people.
The shelter-in-place order was rescinded Friday evening during a press conference in Lewiston. But with most grocery stores and restaurants closed for the past couple days, as well as banks, schools and other essential services, people in the area were running out of needed supplies.
At a press conference Friday, officials did not reveal when the shelter-in-place order might be lifted. Instead, they emphasized the detailed work required to process each crime scene and the focus on public safety.
“The safety of our community remains paramount,” Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre said. “I will ask the community to be as patient as possible with this process as we continue searching.”
Molly Degan, who lives in the Tree Streets neighborhood, was happy the store was open because she was out of dog food and toilet paper.
“This is the first time I’ve been out of the house since Wednesday,” she said.
Stacy McNulty, her friend, was worried that the banks were closed and she couldn’t get cash.
A lot of people in the area rely on some sort of assistance, and those checks will come next week, Longchamps said. Meantime, some people are buying only what they need immediately. Others, she said, don’t have transportation and can’t get out of the area to shop.
“We are a staple in the community,” she said.
Brian Timmons, who was walking his dog near the closed 7-Eleven store and gas station across from Central Maine Medical Center’s emergency department on Main Street, said people are getting nervous because supplies are running low. He also has cabin fever and planned a long drive later today.
“I think everybody understands, but everybody wants the stores to be open,” he said. “It’s shocking that this guy hasn’t been found yet.”
As Timmons talked to a reporter, a man in a pickup truck pulled next to him at the closed 7-Eleven and asked where he could get gas.
“I don’t think I have enough gas to even get to a station at this point,” the man said.
A press photographer nearby said he had to drive to Augusta to get dinner and gas on Thursday night.
“Nothing’s open around here,” he said.
Some gas stations have reopened toward the outskirts of the city, and drives through neighborhoods revealed the occasional open store or restaurant, including the Jade Garden Chinese restaurant on Main Street and the Paris Adult Book Store on Lisbon Street.