The Woman’s Exchange typically runs a season of September through May, having summers off for volunteers to vacation and visit with family. However, they never expected the trials that would come with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barbara Summers, who has been President of the Sandhills Woman’s Exchange for the past 2 years, admitted that the SWE was having a good year with successful events. They even had a November Holiday Open House in 2019.
“Everything was going well. The last day we were open was Saturday, March 14th,” she said.
On that date, the cabin hosted a St. Patrick’s Day event. Immediately following, they were forced to close for quarantine.
“We had thought it would last maybe just a couple of weeks,” Barbara explained. “Because the governor had understandably tight rules, we just couldn’t reopen.”
Being a volunteer-driven organization, it became impossible for the SWE to continue functioning without the extra help.
Eventually the summer came when volunteers typically have off anyways. During the transition to their usual opening month of September, they realized they would have to get creative in order to open safely.
“We had to just keep evolving,” Barbara said. “We were trying to determine the right way for us to open and if the guidelines allowed us to do that.”
A fire Marshall was brought in to determine the maximum number of people who would be allowed within the cabin at a single time.
The cabin was dropped to half capacity, and deep cleaning protocols were put in place in order to maintain a safe environment. Lunch reservations ceased as they transitioned to a first-come, first-serve basis in order to make it fair.
On September 9th, the Sandhills Woman’s Exchange had its grand reopening, bringing in a number of regulars who were excited to see the cabin up and running again.
“They wanted to be there to support us,” Barbara said. “We were very pleased as an organization. We kind of have a place in the community, and they wanted to come make sure we were still here.”
The SWE had a “Lunch ‘n Learn” outdoor event on Thursday, October 8th during which social distancing took place and precautions were taken. A member of The Pilot publication was the speaker.
The next “Lunch ‘n Learn” will feature Chef Katrina demonstrating how to make a Thanksgiving Quiche. For those who would like to order a whole quiche for friends or family, 2 days notice must be given.
The Cabin is open 10:00am-3:00pm with lunch being served 11:00am-2:00pm. Located at 15 Azalea Road in Pinehurst. For more information, call 910-295-4677.
