The Capitola Mall is open for businesses but for the small non-profit gift and art gallery; Art of Santa Cruz, the preparations are enormous.
Run by Volunteers, most over age 65, manning the store is mostly impossible. Plans are in the works to open for very limited days and hours. Things the board members can manage without calling out the rest of the troops.
Without income for 10 weeks, our merger resource as depleted, and we are managing on donations.
The cost to b incurred to be able to open with the safety of our volunteers and customers, will be large. Plexiglas barriers, masks, gloves, sanitizers.
I recently saw a statistic that TV and Radio advertising is down 41%. Is that because small businesses do not advertise if they cannot open their doors? How important is Small Business?? VERY!
Ford, General Motors, Target, Safeway, Proctor and Gamble can continue and change their advertising but for the taco bar, Gift Shops, Bike shops, Local Tourists shops, not so much.
The Federal Government is clueless. What Small Business relief offered was for those “small Business with sales under 5 Million — what about those under $500,000??
It was obvious with Shake Shack being given loans and the corner grocery was ignored.
Art of Santa Cruz is trying to reach our customers, with an online store. Hopefully, Capitola Mall will be successful and the tenants will rebound with customers coming out to shop in safe conditions.
Shop Local — Drop by and Say Hi.
— Elaine Kennedy