Sandi Ware is 70 and staying home because of the coronavirus, even when it comes to grocery shopping. She lives in Detroit, near Lafayette Foods, and has relied on the store's delivery service in the past when caring for her late mother and sister.

But amid the COVID-19 pandemic and out of safety for employees, store delivery is no longer an option.

Lucky for Ware, the store started curbside pickup instead. Now, she calls the store, orders what she needs — meats, eggs, breads and even toilet paper — and pays by credit card. Then, someone picks it up for her.

"They are a lifeline for food and toiletries, whatever I need," Ware said. "If there is something not in the store, they try and order it for you.

"It has been a godsend for me."

All across Detroit, independent grocery stores like Lafayette Foods have become more important than ever as some residents, already limited on major grocery chain options in the city, also have to deal with income, health and transportation issues during a pandemic. As of April 17, the city had logged 7,414 cases of the coronavirus and 582 deaths.

Like the large grocery chains, independent grocers have made changes to keep customers and employees safe, including adding senior shopping hours, installing acrylic plastic sneeze guards between cashiers and customers and having employees wear masks and gloves. Social distancing practices are also in place.

"It’s great to see that they are finally being recognized for the contributions they are making," Martin Manna, president of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, said of the city's independent grocers.

"These stores are in the neighborhood, maybe they don't have a fancy name, but they are family owned, they are hiring within their neighborhoods and they've been serving their communities for 40-50 years."

About 85 independent grocery stores, according to the Chaldean Chamber, are located in the city. The stores are largely Chaldean-American owned and have been operated for decades. Independents are defined by the chamber as stores that are at least 10,000 square feet, with groceries, fresh and frozen foods, and deli options.

Manna said stores also are engaged in their neighborhoods, supporting local churches, providing financial assistance by extending credit, and serving as a financial hub when it comes to check cashing.

At Lafayette Foods, there's also a PharMor pharmacy located inside the 13,500-square-foot full-line grocery store on Lafayette Street, located near the Martin Luther King Apartments and the Dequindre Cut in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood.

Manager Steve Jacobs said the market's customer base are those over 60 — a segment of the population believed to be most vulnerable to the coronavirus, so Jacobs has been working 12-14 hour days trying to keep the store shelves full while also adopting changes including new hours, installing sneeze guards and having employees wear masks and gloves.

The store is stocked at about 80% full, he said. He shut down the store's lottery, which is typically busy, once Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said stores wouldn't be penalized for not operating it. Customers, he said, were not keeping a safe distance from each other while waiting to purchase their tickets.

More:Michigan retailers warn lottery tickets lines are unsafe during pandemic

The store also ended home delivery of groceries and pharmacy items because of employee safety and switched to online ordering, with curbside pickup. Because the store hired two new employees, orders can be filled the same day they're placed, Jacobs said.

Like other stores, though, not everything Lafayette Foods orders from its main supplier, SpartanNash, is coming in. Finding sanitizers, disinfectants and rubbing alcohol is still hard.

But Jacobs and other independents are resourceful and unique in trying to get products using multiple local suppliers.

"That's our niche, we try to find different avenues," Jacobs said. "We don't rely on one supplier, we find different supplier sources for products."

Every other day, Jacobs is ordering more than 100 cases of toilet tissue, for example, and probably getting 5 to 6 cases in return, he said.

More:What grocery stores are doing to keep you safe, stocked up pandemic

What sets these independents apart is their unique distributions channels, said Manna with the Chaldean Chamber. Because of those channels, Manna said, independent store shelves have remained stocked during the pandemic.

"They have the ability, because they are not tied to a single source, to identify and source products from multiple distributors here locally," Manna said.

Finding a way

While some independents say they've had luck in finding highly sought products, delays still happen and prices can be higher.

Joe Gappy, who owns Prince Valley Market on Michigan Avenue in Detroit with his father, Hani, said he recently placed a 3,000-case order of mixed grocery items such as canned goods, paper towels and dairy products. When it arrived on April 15, though, there were only 1,200 cases.

"We do purchase some product from local grocery wholesalers, though we get a better margin from SpartanNash (the store's main supplier)," Gappy said. "The local grocery wholesalers don't compete on that national level."

When Prince Valley gets highly sought items such as toilet paper, Gappy said, it can include off-brands. Still, those products don't last long on the shelf, he said.

"Either I don't have the product, or I have the product and pay more and make less," Gappy said.

While grappling with those stocking challenges, Gappy has also had to deal with workforce issues and making changes similar to Lafayette Foods to keep customers and employees safe.

The market's staff is at 58, down from 115 across all departments because employees quit out of fear of the coronavirus, Gappy said. Early on, Gappy shut down the full kitchen and bakery because employees didn't feel comfortable working close together. Though both are slowly reopening, the bakery, which was full service, is now all pre-packaged.

"We're here for the community," Gappy said.

Meeting needs

At Apollo Market on 7 Mile and Evergreen, Ronald Young is a regular. The 63-year-old, who said he runs an adult foster care home in Detroit, said he likes that the store has been open on a regular basis for the things he needs, including fresh fruit and produce, lunch meats, breads and dairy.

"When I see all the markets going crazy, at Apollo I can get in, get what I need and get out," Young said. "It's sensible and everything is right there."

More:Coronavirus shopping: Getting to the bottom of the toilet paper shortage

Young also relies on the store's DivDat kiosk bill-paying service that allows him to pay his Detroit property taxes, as well as DTE energy and water bills, without having to drive downtown.

"I avoid the lines, it's the smartest idea," Young said. "A lot of seniors don't have a way to get downtown."

In today's world, the grocery business is not easy, said long-time independent grocer Sam Shina, owner of Apollo Market.

"A month ago, I could have told you that brick and mortar was slowly dying because of the Amazons," he said. "Now the brick and mortar is needed ... what would people have done?"

Shina, director of the Shina Group, along with his brothers, owns several Imperial Fresh Markets in Detroit and Southfield as well as Apollo Market in Detroit. His family has been in the grocery business for 40 years.

Once the pandemic hit, Shina said he saw something he hadn't seen in years at his stores.

In the last month, new faces were showing up looking for toilet paper and disinfecting wipes.

"When essentials were no longer available in the suburbs, people started coming to our stores," Shina said. "Now customers are coming to stores that are at least 80-90% stocked."

"A lot of people used to shop in the suburbs," he said. "Now, it's 'where do I find the fullest stores and convenience? I don't need to go to the suburbs.'"

Contact food writer Susan Selasky at 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.