The expansive storefront windows at Bark Avenue, which usually offer passers-by views of dogs getting their hair cut and nails trimmed, are newly covered with plywood.

The south St. Louis pet grooming salon is one of many businesses in the St. Louis region that are adding security, adjusting store hours or taking other steps in anticipation of a grand jury announcement on whether charges will be brought against Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9.

After the fatal shooting, some protests turned violent, and some businesses along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson and Dellwood were looted. Several Ferguson area businesses have kept plywood in place for the past three months, awaiting the grand jury’s decision.

Businesses that were not directly affected, some located far from Ferguson, are taking similar precautions.

Suzanne Jackson, who owns Bark Avenue with her husband, Ray, said she paid $200 for the plywood to be installed on her store windows Monday, the same day St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said the grand jury will likely complete its work in mid- to late November.

Bark Avenue is nearly 20 miles from Ferguson, but only a few miles from other protests that occurred after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old VonDerrit Myers Jr. by an off-duty St. Louis police officer on Oct. 8.

“I can’t afford $6,000 to replace all my windows,” Suzanne Jackson said. “I’m hoping I did it all for nothing. I’d much rather be safe than sorry, and my peace of mind is worth it.”

Other businesses are also stockpiling plywood as a precaution and planning on shutting their doors after the grand jury’s announcement.

A manager of a retail store in Clayton, near where protesters have marched in the streets in front of McCulloch’s office, said the store has plywood available and will close temporarily for employees’ safety when the grand jury announcement is made. The store manager spoke only on the condition of anonymity, fearing her store could be targeted during protests.

At Negwer Materials, a building supply distributor in Ferguson, the company has instituted a series of safety protocols in the wake of Brown’s killing and protests near the business that include moving some equipment off-site on weekends and placing wooden barricades at times surrounding its property on Airport Road that prohibit entry.

The barricades are put in place when the company deems it’s a “red” day on a scale of green, yellow and red, said president Scott Negwer. The color scale was put in place following the protests, and this is the first time in the company’s 90-year history it has taken such measures.

“We are obviously very concerned about the possibility of something happening,” Negwer said, adding there has been no damage to the property or other incidents tied to the protests. “It’s fairly easy for us because we have the materials. I’m concerned, but not panicked.”

At Schnuck Markets Inc., which operates dozens of groceries in the region, spokeswoman Lori Willis said the chain does not disclose its security measures. “Our intent is to stay open in service to our customers and teammates, but we will alter our hours if necessary in order to ensure everyone’s safety,” Willis said.