You need to talk to Claire in her room, she tells you about another way to get to the east side.
That should unlock the shops, but it’s not like you can do anything after getting the acid.
How do you get Claire in her room? For me she's only ever outside Emma's door.
Nevermind, as is per usual with me not 2 minutes after posting the question I figure it out myself. What did I do to deserve this curse
