More along the lines of how small businesses owners are suffering economically in these times.
Julie said her business is down 70%! I was expecting a 25%, MAYBE a 50% drop. But not a 3/4 reduction. She hasn’t laid off staff because they depend on her, but she has to be hitting her savings to keep staff on board. I really hurt for her. She works her tail off, getting in every day before 5 AM to shred the potatoes for REAL hash browns which are crisped to perfection. She does all the shopping and gets the best organic ingredients. It’s been my favorite place for ages. I wonder how many vacancies downtown is going to have in the coming months.
I walked on State Street yesterday and was dismayed to see about 1/4 of the storefronts already showing various signs - “Now by appointment only” or “Closed next two weeks” or “Limit your browsing to 10 minutes.” The traffic downtown was almost non-existent at 3 pm. Normally downtown is PACKED with happy shoppers, browsers and restaurant diners on a Saturday afternoon.