Table 1.

Representative responses by theme and type of ownership (N = 39)

Theme	Corporate (n = 15, 40.5%)	Private (n = 22, 59.5%)
‘A sense of community’	“Providing free masks.”	“Educating customers…”
	“Working together…if everyone does their part to enforce the rules…”	"Nothing. I know the customers. Most are from the neighborhood… I know their parents."
	“Provide [masks] when customers do not have one.”	“If you talk to people and make them aware of the reasons to wear the masks they understand and comply.”
	“Work to change people’s mindset.”	“Send mask to people's houses.”
	“[Produce] masks made with more breathable material.”	“…Providing masks for free. Some businesses actually charge and that is absurd…”
		“[Giving] tips to make wearing the mask more comfortable.”
		“Respect for each other”
“Need for external support”	“…If the police would monitor…[all] the responsibility falls on the management.”	“Consistency. If every store refused to let customers without masks enter, they will comply.”
	“…Authorities having/making [masks] available to give out.”	“Teamwork between the city and small businesses would help make things easier.”
	“The [Ohio Governor’s] mandate helped.”	“Free masks”
		“…If the President encouraged mask wearing.”
		“Making it mandatory.”
‘Internal leadership’	"The corporation is serious. Employee[s] wear masks and take temperature and stay home if sick.”	“[We want] help with supplies and increased pay for increased work.”
	“If we had them to give away to customers without one.”	“…Just trying to enforce [mask wearing] is difficult.”
	“It [mask-wearing] is not required for [us] to enforce with customers”
	“[Enforcement is]not pushed by the company leadership.”
Other	“Sell fashion masks [with matching t-shirts]”
	“Some people like stylish or branded masks.”