June 29, 3:30pm
Calvert Woodley Reopening July 6th
We hope you're doing doing well and we want to thank you again for your patience and support during these last few months. We know the health crisis has left a big mark on the lives of many, and we are tremendously grateful to have such loyal customers stick with us as we navigate these difficult times.
As businesses reopen across this city and the country, we have made a carefully considered decision to reopen our doors, but to limit capacity at first. Beginning next Monday, July 6th, our hours will be extended to 11:00 am – 7:00 pm Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 am – 5:00 pm on Sunday. We will continue to offer curbside pickup and delivery.
We plan to follow some new guidelines in an effort to maintain the safety of our customers and staff. Customers will be allowed into the store in smaller groups so as not to exceed 15 customers in the store at one time. We will require customers to wear masks, we will be stepping up our sanitizing efforts, and we will ask everyone to maintain safe distances.
As we prepare for our reopening, we're asking anyone who still has an order at the store to please pick up their order by this Saturday, July 4th. This will help us clear space for reopening operations. (Please note: curbside pickup hours will be extended this Saturday, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.) If there is no way for you to pick up before Saturday, we can hold your order.
We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
Thank you very much, and we hope you and yours stay safe and healthy.
Michael Sands
Owner
*************
May 3rd, 11:45am
Calvert Woodley is Reopening Monday, May 4th
We hope you are safe and healthy and doing well. We have missed you!
To keep our employees, customers, and community safer, here are the adjustments we've made, or are continuing to make, to our normal business operations:
• CW will be open Monday through Saturday, noon to 5:00 pm.
• No customers inside Calvert Woodley, just employees. To ensure physical distancing, we will have less than half the staff we normally have at any given time.
• All orders must be placed, and paid for, through calvertwoodley.com. Because of the reduced staff, please allow up to 24 hours for us to put your order together. Also, please wait for us to contact you saying your order is now ready to be picked up before coming in. If you have questions about your order, please email us at wine@calvertwoodley.com and we will get back to you as quickly as we can. Exceptions will be made for those without internet access. Please call 202-966-4400.
• A limited selection of cheese and deli items is available on our website. Items will be pre-packaged in half-pound increments for a fixed price unless otherwise noted.
• No-contact parking lot pickup (please no "walk-ups" or standing in front of CW). Stay in your car and call 202-966-4400, or a CW team member will be outside to assist you. If you do not have a car, please go to our parking lot and give your name to a CW team member.
• No-contact delivery within DC limits, via courier, is available Monday through Friday, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, for a fixed rate of $20. Please allow at least two business days. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Take care,
Michael Sands
*************
April 14th, 11:30am
Quick Check-In
I hope this note finds you safe and healthy during this intense time.
Having been home for over a week now, I finally got a chance to see what it's like for everyone that was forced to stay home weeks before we decided to close on April 4... it is surely an elusive balance. I am still in awe of just how quickly this situation has escalated — and the way communities have come together to flatten the curve, too. We're all in it together, for sure.
I wanted to quickly fill you in to let you know that while the Calvert Woodley team is laying low, we are eagerly looking forward to seeing our customers again in the not-too-distant future. I'm not 100% sure yet when we'll reopen, but I promise to let you know as soon as I can.
Take care,
Michael Sands
*************
April 2nd, 2:45pm
CALVERT WOODLEY IS TEMPORARILY CLOSING BEGINNING APRIL 4th AT 5:00PM
How long will CW be closed?
I'm not entirely sure at this point, but April 20th is the first we would re-open, and quite possibly even later. Updates will come via email and messages on our homepage (calvertwoodley.com) when I know more. Please sign up for our email newsletters so we may keep you updated.
Why?
SAFETY. In many ways, this is a very difficult decision. In terms of safety, both for now and down the road, it's not difficult at all. The projected peak for COVID-19 cases in our area, from what I've read, is sometime in the next few weeks.
I fully understand that many small businesses are struggling these days and that many would love to be in our shoes, open and still busy. I don't take anything for granted, and despite what could be an extended period of good sales and financial gain, I feel this is the right thing to do for the 48 members of the CW family. There are so many specific reasons, and you can keep reading below to see some of my thoughts, but it's really as simple as feeling like it's the right thing to do for the safety and well-being of everyone at CW. It may not be the right decision for every wine and liquor store, or any business for that matter, and it might not be a decision that makes our customers happy (something that goes against everything we've ever done at CW), but this is the decision I have made.
Our crew has been working very hard these last few weeks, and while we've closed the doors to customers and taken as many precautions as we can, I want to provide them with the ability to stay home like so many people in the US are doing. The hope is that this, in turn, will make it safer for them and their families, which in turn makes it safer for our customers, the DMV area, and maybe even the country as a whole. Given how this has traveled from China to Europe to here in the US, it's not too much of a stretch. If everyone follows the stay-at-home guidelines we'll all be better in the long run, and we can all resume our normal lives sooner.
I want to be very clear on four important points:
1 - we're not closing for good, I promise
2 - we're not being forced to close, by anyone
3 - we're not closing because one of our employees has tested positive for COVID-19
4 - every CW employee will stay employed and receive their regular paychecks
My dad started Woodley in 1966 and merged with Calvert to form Calvert Woodley in 1982, so CW has been in our family for 54 years. My dad just retired on December 31st and while this is not exactly how I saw the first few months going, we are where we are. The decision to close for something like a snow day — or open a few hours late or close a few hours early — can be an agonizing decision, factoring in the street conditions, the status of public transportation, and of course the safety of our employees and customers. Closing the store for two weeks, and possibly three or four (or more), is a whole different ballgame. It's not a decision I ever expected to be faced with, and not one I came to lightly. By the way, I offered my dad the store back but he respectfully declined!
We've been focused on making our customers happy for over 50 years. In my 22 years at CW I've gotten to know so many wonderful people, becoming friends with many. I know that a lot of people are thrilled that we've stayed open these past few weeks, and that DC has deemed us an essential business. The number of positive messages I have received in the last few weeks related to this has been overwhelming, and touching. Knowing this, I don't relish the thought of taking the focus off our customers' needs, but in this unique time I feel it's the right thing to do.
I hope you stay safe and healthy, and please know that everyone at CW looks forward to seeing you very soon.
Take care,
Michael Sands
*************
March 22nd, 4:45pm
IMPORTANT CHANGES BEGINNING MARCH 22
In our continuing effort to keep our employees, customers, and community safer, and to streamline our new processes to serve you better, we are implementing several important changes until further notice. I will list the key bullet points of this update below, and I will give a more detailed explanation further down the page for those that care to know more.
- CW will be closed Sundays and Mondays, including tomorrow (Monday, March 23)
- No customers inside Calvert Woodley, just employees
- All orders must be placed, and paid for, through calvertwoodley.com. Please allow one business day before picking up. Exceptions will be made for those without internet access. Please call 202-966-4400.
- Parking lot pickup only (no "walk-ups" or standing in front of CW). Please stay in your car and call 202-966-4400, or a CW team member will be outside to assist you. For those without a car, please stand near the attendant booth in our parking lot.
- Orders may be picked up in our parking lot Tuesday thru Saturday, noon to 5:00pm
- Delivery within DC limits, via courier, is continuing. Please allow one business day. See our delivery policy.
- Out-of-state shipping, via FedEx, is continuing, where legally allowed. See our delivery policy.
- No cash, no exceptions
- "No contact" pickups and deliveries
Staffing and logistical issues, as well as social distancing, are a few of the many reasons behind the changes listed above. Believe me when I tell you that I hope these changes are short lived.
While it's certainly not our intention, I understand these changes may inconvenience and even upset some of our longtime, loyal customers. This is counterintuitive to everything we stand for at CW, so we don't take it lightly. We will do everything we can to make things as smooth and painless as possible during this difficult time.
Thank you so much for the kind words and your patience as we navigate this new normal. We're thrilled to be appreciated by the neighborhood and the larger DC community, and we look forward to getting through this together. And we will get through this together!
Now more than ever, please be safe and take care of yourself and those around you.
Michael Sands
michael@calvertwoodley.com
************
March 18th, 12:30pm
OPERATIONAL CHANGES BEGINNING MARCH 19
To better protect our employees, our customers, and our community, while still serving our employees, customers, and our community, we have decided to operate only with parking lot pickup or delivery within the District of Columbia, beginning tomorrow, March 19th, and until further notice. (We also continue to ship wine across the country, via FedEx, where legally allowed.)
This means we will be locking our doors to the public while still taking phone and online orders, which will be available for pickup in our parking lot or through DC delivery (and out of state via FedEx). Our store hours will be 10:00am to 6:00pm, as they have been for the past few days. You can place your order here on our website or by calling 202-966-4400. As a reminder, local delivery is only allowed within DC proper, not to MD or VA, and the fee will be fixed at $12* per delivery.
Please note: La Cheeserie & International Deli items are still available, just like normal. Place your order over the phone and we'll bring it out to you. Also, we will temporarily take credit cards only, no checks or cash.
We're sorry it has come to this but we appreciate your understanding. Everyone deserves a big thank you because the level of civility, compassion, and patience has been wonderful to see. We'll all get through this together, even if that means socially distancing for a bit.
As we've said in previous emails, everything is obviously quite fluid and we're closely monitoring the situation. We'll be in touch whenever there is more news to share. Please don't hesitate to email me at michael@calvertwoodley.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Thank you,
Michael Sands
* please look below for full details on our delivery fees
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March 15th 8:00pm
NEW (TEMPORARY) STORE HOURS
The situation with the Coronavirus is changing day to day, even hour to hour, so we have to be adaptable and fluid. With this in mind, Calvert Woodley plans to close 2.5 hours early each night this week, at 6:00pm instead of our usual 8:30pm. For now, we’ll keep our Sunday hours as they are, at 10:30am to 5:00pm. Again, the situation is fluid so we may send you new information in the next day or two, or whenever necessity dictates.
I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has been to CW recently. I know this has been a tough week (or weeks) and all of us at CW appreciate everyone's positive attitude during this challenging time. I personally appreciate, and want to acknowledge, our employee's efforts. Let’s continue to stick together and look after each other.
In our continuing effort to make CW as clean and safe as possible, we are cleaning and sanitizing as frequently as we can, and we have a new shipment of hospital-strength cleaning supplies coming in Monday and Tuesday.
To reiterate the two new policies we outlined in an email last Thursday, please read below...
1) Parking lot pickup of previously placed and confirmed orders is now available. Call us when you’re on the way, with as much lead time as possible so we can have it up and ready, and we’ll bring it out to your car. Only applicable for cars parked in our parking lot or legally on the east (CW) side of Connecticut Avenue in one of the spots directly in front of our store. You can place your order on our website or by calling 202-966-4400.
2) Delivery, via courier, is now available within the DC limits for a fixed rate* of $12 (normally $22+, depending on the number of boxes). Unfortunately we can't deliver/ship to MD or VA.
* $12 fixed-price delivery refers to "regular" service, which is Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 4:00pm (delivered). Orders for "regular" service must be called in at least two hours in advance and will be completed within a two-hour window, unless a specific delivery time is requested. "Rush" service (delivered during "regular" hours but in less than 90 minutes) is available for double the price, or $24, as is "evening" (after 4:00pm) and "weekend" service. Adult signature required.
Please don't hesitate to email me at michael@calvertwoodley.com or call us at 202-966-4400 with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Thank you,
Michael Sands
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March 12th 6:00am
At Calvert Woodley, the health and well-being of our customers, employees, and community is our top priority. We understand the concern and uncertainty you must be experiencing surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19). We're continuing to monitor the outbreak and its possible impact on the DC area.
We want you to feel good when shopping at CW so we are being even more vigilant than normal with regards to cleaning and sanitizing and are following the CDC guidelines. We have spoken with our staff and reminded them of the necessity of frequent hand washing, as well as other health and safety precautions, and we have asked them to stay home if they are feeling the least bit sick.
For your convenience, we are implementing two new policies, both in effect immediately and through the end of March, at a minimum...
1) Delivery, via courier, within the DC limits for a fixed rate* of $12 (normally $22+, depending on the number of boxes)
2) Parking lot pickup of previously placed and confirmed orders. Call us when you’re on the way, with as much lead time as possible so we can have it up and ready, and we’ll bring it out to your car. Only applicable for cars parked in our parking lot or legally on the east (CW) side of Connecticut Avenue in one of the spots directly in front of our store.
* $12 fixed-price delivery refers to "regular" service, which is Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (delivered). Orders for "regular" service must be called in at least two hours in advance and will be completed within a two-hour window, unless a specific delivery time is requested. "Rush" service (delivered during "regular" hours but in less than 90 minutes) is available for double the price, or $24, as is "evening" (after 4:00 pm) and “weekend” service. Adult signature required.
Everyone wants things to go back to normal as quickly as possible so we can resume talking about fun stuff like wine and cheese. But, we are well aware of the seriousness of the ongoing coronavirus situation, and we're taking the necessary precautions to provide you with a safe, comfortable Calvert Woodley.
We're here to serve you. Please don't hesitate to email me at michael@calvertwoodley.com or call us at 202-966-4400 with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Thank you,
Michael Sands
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