Next week could belong to online retailers and delivery drivers, but this week, a sample of the region's small business owners say they have as many customers as ever — or even more.

Shopping plaza parking lots were full along Long Hill Road in Groton on Friday afternoon, even as schools announced they would be closing for at least two weeks and the region's first known case of COVID-19, involving a student at a Mystic day care facility, was reported.

Locals were continuing to patronize restaurants and beauty salons and stock up on items they might need, should they be required to stay at home due to threat of coronavirus.

How liquor fits into the equation is a matter of interpretation.

"Everybody is buying wine and extra beer and vodka in case they're stuck at home," said Harry Patel from behind the counter of the fully stocked Harry's Wine & Spirits in Groton.

Some shoppers also were looking at liquor as the base ingredient of a do-it-yourself hand sanitizer, according to Patel. Hand sanitizer is scarce at stores across the nation, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vigorous hand washing with soap and water is the best way, and even the makers of Tito's Vodkas say their product, which is 40% alcohol, isn't suitable as hand sanitizer, which requires 60% alcohol.

In Niantic, Ken Turcotte, owner of Divine Wine Emporium, said sales have been twice as strong as usual in the last two days.

"When I heard the report on how much we did, I was like, 'Whoa, that's pretty darn good,'" Turcotte said by phone. "I don't know how long that will last. It puts me in a precarious position. Order a lot? Don't order much? It's a little confusing, but I'll take what I've got."

FedEx and other delivery services are experiencing a boon as consumers order necessities online.

"Sometimes I do 80 stops a day," said FedEx driver Mario Then, who was loading packages into his truck in the parking lot of the Lighthouse Square shopping plaza. "Now it's 120 to 150."

Next week, Then said, "Maybe you'll see only FedEx and UPS drivers on the street."

At Pasta Vita in Old Saybrook, staff members have been coming in early and leaving late to keep up with the demand for prepared gourmet meals to go, according to Rich Cersosimo, president of the company. He said people appear to be buying extra meals to freeze in the event they can't leave home.

"It's almost like a holiday or snowstorm, we're doing that kind of business," Cersosimo said.

"Some people are actually getting a spike in business because of the concern, some say hysteria, around the coronavirus," economist Peter Gioia said.

Angela San Juan, owner of the Recovery Room Restaurant in New London, said business was fine so far and she and her husband, Joe, are taking it day by day and preparing to keep their staff working even if business slows. The aptly named restaurant is located across the street from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where it regularly delivers food.

"We're diligent about keeping things clean, and right now we don't even go into the hospital," San Juan said. "We're fortunate that we do offer delivery, so if the dining business takes a hit, we can drop off food at people's door. Everybody's out crazy shopping right now and have tons of food, so we might see a drop this week."

If people are required to stay at home more, Randi White, owner of Book Barn's three stores in East Lyme, hopes they'll be looking for reading materials.

"Now that there's no theater and no sports, maybe readership will go up in the country," he said by phone.

Business has been steady, but even the report of a coming snowstorm can cause a 40% drop-off at Book Barn, White said, adding that the country is going into unknown territory with the arrival of COVID-19.  

"I think, like everyone else, I have no idea what to expect," he said. "There's no previous anything to base it on. We're assessing daily and deciding what to do from there. We're staying connected."

Dean Tine, owner of Montville Hardware, said nothing has changed so far except the conversations with customers about the coronavirus and the run on toilet paper. The store sold out of dust masks and Purell hand sanitizer a month ago, he said. People are still coming in for other cleaning supplies, and the store's commercial customers are still looking for their "nuts and bolts," he said.

"We're going to be fine," said Tine, though he expressed the same uncertainty as the other business owners, "if something breaks, they still need to fix it."

Nancy Christiansen of Christiansen Hardware in Old Lyme said business has slowed, but isn't off much. "We're all just being cautious," she said, mentioning that personnel are doing extra handwashing and efforts to keep things clean.

Bob Adams, owner of Poppy & Rye Bakery in the Taftville section of Norwich, said the business, which employees eight people, is down about 25% as consumers appear to be more concerned about stocking up on things like canned goods. He said business usually picks up around St. Patrick's Day and he is already baking Irish soda bread and the Russian rye that many like to eat with corned beef and cabbage.

Next week, Adams said the bakery would be giving a free loaf of bread to those who make a purchase, in an effort to stimulate business.

"We'll weather the storm," he said.

The Costcos, Walmarts and other big box retailers, where customers reported empty shelves, are not the only places that people turn to for food. Business is up about 15% at Fiddleheads Food Cooperative in downtown New London, which employs 45 people, according to General Manager Lexa Juhre.

"We're in a sector that is currently quite robust, because people are uncertain about what's going to happen and are stocking up on groceries, supplements, personal care items, etc.," Juhre said.

k.florin@theday.com