Altnagelvin Garden and Pet centre reopened on Wednesday
Garden centres across the North of Ireland were allowed re-ope to the public since Monday.
The centres opened as part of step-one of the executive’s five-stage plan for easing the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions by the Stormont Executive.
Altnagelvin garden and pet centre, owned by Pauline Peilow, took a further 48 hours to reopen its doors to the public, putting in place a one-way system around the store with two metre social distancing measures.
Matthew Peilow, who works at the centre, says green-fingered punters were “relieved to be back” and lined the streets on opening day to return to shop.
“We had a queue from about 8.30 am on Wednesday morning forming for gates opening at 10:00,” Mr Pielow told BBC Radio Foyle.
“Normally, you would have lulls and a time to breathe, but it was non-stop,” he added.
Mr Peilow said that although the centre experienced a high volume of customers, he was impressed with how people adhered to the social distancing measures put in place.
Mr Peilow said garden centres can provide an escape for people and a great way to forget about the current pandemic.
“Gardening is very therapeutic, planting something new and adding colour,” said Mr Peilow.
