P&P Stores Reopening

All Politics and Prose locations, which have been closed to the public for six days in response to Covid, will re-open to shoppers this week. We’re excited to welcome everyone back to the Connecticut Avenue NW location tomorrow and to The Wharf and Union Market stores on Tuesday.

We remind all customers to abide by the public health requirements in place at the stores. These include wearing masks at all times, sanitizing hands upon entering, maintaining at least six feet from others, and limiting visits to a maximum of 30 minutes. Additional safety measures being implemented this week include a reduction in occupancy limits at all P&P locations and a shortening of shopping hours. Further, staff members will be double-masked from now on, and we urge customers to wear two masks as well (or single medical-grade N95 masks) and make sure the masks fit snugly and cover both nose and mouth.

These precautions are for everyone’s protection. In some cases, they not only meet but exceed CDC and DC public health guidelines. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve put the safety of staff and customers above all other considerations, and the protocols we’ve had in place kept any Covid cases from emerging at P&P for ten months. In the past two weeks, two employees reported positive tests—one who works at Union Market was last there on January 16, the other based at the Connecticut Avenue NW store was last there on January 19. Since closing, all the stores were deep-cleaned and sanitized by a professional firm, and all employees returning to the stores have been tested and received negative results.

Entering any retail store these days involves some inherent risk, but P&P will continue adhering to federal and local guidelines and follow other recommendations from public health experts to minimize potential exposure. We also encourage customers to shop with us online or take advantage of the curbside pick-up service available at all locations.

For now, we want to express our profound gratitude to our community and to the many of you who have offered good wishes and support for P&P in emails and over social media. P&P’s staff members remain the heartbeat of this operation, and their resilience and continued commitment to serve, along with your understanding, patience, and concern, are what keep us confident that together we’ll make it through this struggle to the other side of the pandemic.

Stay safe, stay well, and stay well-read.

— Brad and Lissa