‘Worst time I’ve ever been through’: SLO County businesses react to closing once again
And just like that, getting a haircut and enjoying a meal inside a restaurant are once again a thing of the past in San Luis Obispo County.
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a sweeping array of new business closures as California continues to see a surge in coronavirus cases.
The closures represent a massive step back from the state’s initial plans to fully reopen the economy after months of COVID-19-induced closures. In the weeks since the state began reopening various sectors of the economy, case numbers in counties across California have skyrocketed.
In San Luis Obispo County, the Public Health Department has reported record numbers of new daily cases this week, with an all-time high of 72 new coronavirus patients on Tuesday.
The new restrictions shuttered indoor dining at restaurants and fully closed bars, winery tasting rooms, brewpubs, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, cardrooms, zoos and museums across the entire state.
Newsom also warned that certain types of businesses would have to close if the county they reside in was on the state’s coronavirus watch list for surging cases for three days in a row.
This included barbershops, tattoo shops, hair salons and other personal services businesses, as well as gyms, fitness centers and places of worship.
San Luis Obispo County was put on the list on Monday, and as of Thursday, all of the above businesses were ordered to shut down.
So what does that mean locally? Here’s a look at how SLO County businesses are being impacted by the changes:
.
Hair salons, barber shops and tattoo parlors close in ‘Catch-22’ situation
When Christian Contreras opened his barber shop The Gallant a little less than a year ago, he set goals that he said he no longer thinks are realistic due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the last four months, state and county public health officials have ordered barber shops, hair salons and any personal care salons to close twice — once at the start of the pandemic, and now as cases begin to surge past the state’s safety criteria.
“It’s really tough. I want to be a part of the solution, not the problem,” Contreras said. “It’s a Catch-22 basically. I want to do the right thing. I’m going to follow the rules, but it puts my business at jeopardy as well.”
Contreras, a San Luis Obispo local, co-owns Kin Coffee with his brother Julian. He said the two Higuera Street businesses have been struggling to pay rent, but he understands the precautions are needed amid the pandemic.
When The Gallant reopened following the first coronavirus-related closure, Contreras said they went “above and beyond” the county’s safety guidelines. Appointments were scheduled farther apart so that there was enough time to fully sanitize the stations between cuts, and everyone wore masks.
“I don’t mind taking extra precautions. I don’t mind doing these extra things, or not getting an extra tip or taking a pay cut if we do 10 cuts in a day because at least we are still here, at least we are still serving the community, and at the end of the day that’s all my brother and I want to do,” Contreras said.
He said while they were open, the first two weeks were fully booked and saw many new customers. He said that if The Gallant is not allowed to reopen by a certain date, he may not be able to keep it afloat.
“I know the community can get past this,” Contreras said. “I have faith in humanity.”
The manager of Salon 62 on Garden Street in San Luis Obispo said she also understands why the Public Health Department decided to close personal care businesses, and that for now she is remaining optimistic.
Emilie Boege said the salon anticipated a closure would be coming once San Luis Obispo County was put on the state’s watch list.
“It’s tough. We’re a small business, so this is definitely affecting us,” Boege said. “We do want the county to be safe and healthy, so we understand. We are doing everything we can.”
Boege said during the last closure, the salon updated its online store, and this time, it is prepared to open its retail space at the front of their salon for a few days a week.
The shop will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We’ve already cleaned and are ready to reopen whenever they tell us we can,” “But until then, we have our retail that we are going to try to do as much of as we can, and just hope for the best.”
Kate Norton, co-owner of Jeff Norton Tattoo in Atascadero, said she believes the closures are necessary, despite the burden on businesses.
“It’s unfortunate we have to close, but we’ll have to do it until this virus goes away,” Norton said. “We’re happy to follow the guidelines because it’s necessary.”
Norton said the small business opened temporarily, when businesses were allowed to reopen after an initial lifting of restrictions, but closed Tuesday with the new order.
Norton said the news isn’t something they expected or planned for and it’s a financial strain on them.
“We’re just going to try to get through this the best we can,” she said.
‘The worst time I’ve ever been through,’ SLO restaurant owner says
For many, the governor’s decision to once again stop indoor dining was not surprising, though it does present challenges.
Gretchen LeMiere, owner of Taste in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, described adjusting to all of the changing regulations as “the worst time I’ve ever been through emotionally, financially.”
“Things are rapidly changing and businesses are having to incur quite a bit of expense, not to mention adding tremendous amounts of hours to their days that already are in short supply,” she said.
The indoor portions of restaurants had only recently reopened in May, after two months of COVID-19 closures.
At the time, restaurant owners said they felt prepared to tackle the gargantuan task of preventing the spread of the virus, while also bringing diners back inside.
LeMiere told The Tribune in May before reopening that she had rearranged the inside of her restaurant on Broad Street to comply with social distancing requirements (the Paso Robles location on 11th Street had not yet opened).
At the time, she was also looking into ways to expand her outdoor seating to allow for more diners at the SLO restaurant.
That expanded outdoor seating is now the restaurant’s only option for staying open.
“We have been adding as much outdoor seating as possible and have a new area that we are unveiling (Wednesday),” LeMiere told The Tribune on Tuesday. “I feel so bad for those who don’t have the ability to take over outside space. We are so lucky to have our parking lot.”
“We want customers to be able to continue to enjoy a safe space, which now seems to be outside,” she added.
Owner of 2 restaurants in SLO Creamery says changes are ‘a shame’
For Nicola Allegretta, who owns both Mama’s Meatball and Mistura in San Luis Obispo, the walkback on restaurant openings wasn’t entirely unanticipated.
Allegretta said he and his staff had been eyeing the increasing numbers, and expected the state to ask for some sort of closure once again because of it.
“We kinda of were expecting already that this was going to happen,” he said. “I saw people not following the guidelines. It’s kind of a shame we have to be in this position. For other people to be irresponsible.”
Allegretta also said he felt like restaurants are being penalized for the spread of coronavirus, while other businesses like retail remain open.
“Many other businesses are open out there,” he said. “People are next to each other. Some of them have masks. Some of them do not have masks. There is nobody out there enforcing on people. It is just up to the people.”
Allegretta said his landlord has been helpful in setting up the patio for Mama’s Meatball in The Creamery, so that the restaurant now has outdoor seating for about 28 people; Mistura’s seating capacity is now down to about 58 people, compared with its usual capacity of 177, he said.
Before the latest changes, he said, his business was operating at only about 30% of what it usually would be this time of year.
Allegretta said he was unsure what the future would hold for either of his restaurants if the pandemic and state regulations on businesses continue.
“If we have to shut down in September, October, November, that’s what it is,” he said. “We need to actually be able to afford it and pay rent.”
Allegretta noted that a business like Mama’s Meatball, which is already primarily driven by take-out, does better during this time than a fine dining restaurant like Mistura, where he is selling the experience of the food, not just meals.
He might have to consider some big changes to one or both of his restaurants in the future, Allegretta said, though he is hopeful both will be able to stay open.
“I hope, yes — I hope we can do it,” he said. “We’re trying to stay positive.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 11:32 AM.
%20Cropped.jpg)