Businesses look forward to return to normalcy with vaccine A year into the coronavirus pandemic and some Brainerd lakes area businesses have folded, others merely survived and a few have even thrived. 4:00 am, Mar. 15, 2021 × Nancy Gates, owner of Arlene's Bridal & Tuxedo Shop shows a wedding dress Wednesday, March 10, at her store in downtown Brainerd. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates talks about how her business is coming back. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch If it’s one thing Brainerd lakes area businesses could bank on during the coronavirus pandemic it’s that it would be a challenging year. Businesses that were closed — or only offered curbside service or takeout — reopened in May following executive orders from the state that temporarily closed them due to the contagion.