Around Town Community
STAYIN
Benicia busines “We learned new technologies, created online storefronts, retrained our staff, and doubled our marketing efforts in order to inform the community of our efforts.”
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Amy Stellato
Many times during the last several months, I have stood on First Street, our beautiful little city perched on the waterfront, and could almost feel the collective breath being held. As co-owner of one of the businesses that lines this street, I too have felt the overwhelming uncertainty of the past year deeply—wavering at times between worry and hope, and sometimes finding myself with the muddled mixture of both. Although this is not the first time I’ve navigated a small business through a recession, this particular experience has been as new to me as for all of us—the economic impact being only part of the equation. Small businesses like mine have always been important in establishing a town’s identity: they play a major role in what attracts people to a community, and they reflect the personality of the citizens. Throughout this past year, I have been reminded of this as I anxiously watched
10 • Benicia Magazine
Benicia’s local business landscape change. While often mourning the loss of some of our favorite establishments, I was simultaneously reassured by the emergence of new ones and their fresh perspectives. Even now, looking out at our city after a year that has challenged everything important to us, I am overwhelmed with appreciation for this resilient sector and what it represents for us, as a community. When my husband, David, and I first visited Benicia several years ago, we were happily surprised by the richly diverse and distinctive personality that the relatively small city had. Unexpectedly un-small-townish, Benicia’s beautiful convergence of historical significance, progressive thinking, gorgeous climate, art, industry, and playfulness has attracted a community that’s wide in its variety of people and the small businesses throughout. With its enduring legacy as a hub for creativity, Benicia still boasts a wealth of artists, with styles as varied as our
