Covid- 19 Detrimental Effects on Local Businesses BY FUNANYA IKECHUKWU
Covid -19 has led to one of the largest economic depressions since the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to reuters.com, this pandemic has led to shrinking of the US economy by roughly 30%. Small businesses have been hit extremely hard by the lack of customers, but in the face of unfortunate circumstances, local businesses have been adapting to new changes to get through this pandemic. According to Joe Ly, owner of the Boba Tea House, business in the town of Loma Linda has been cut in half. This declining trend has put a major dent in the profits of small businesses. Najwa Medina, a caterer and owner of the Najwa’s Mediterrean Cuisine, has experienced a huge cut in her business. Medina is the caterer for Loma Linda Academy, and due to the Covid-19 pandemic the school has been “closed.” For Medina, transitioning to having more Covid-19 precautions was not a huge change. She said, “As for safety precautions we always operated with the most caution and followed health regulations from day one.” Jonathan Pastrama, an assistant manager of UReach Thrift, said, “In the first months we had to close the store, and little by little we have been [able] to reopen again.” As a result of the pandemic, Boba Tea House had to go through some major changes. Ly said, “Immediately we decided to go cashless to reduce hand to hand contact. We also installed shields in our front service area. All sit down furniture ... were removed. All staff members were provided two washable masks and now we have disposable [masks] as well.” Due to the lack of customers, the local businesses in the community have been struggling financially. Both Medina and Ly, had to lay off a good portion of their
staff. One of the hardest things for Medina, during this pandemic, was having to lay off hardworking staff with no promise of them returning back to the restaurant. At UReach Thrift, the donations are being handled with more care than ever before, to make sure that they are safe for the general public. “We are following all the safety codes against Covid: social distance, wearing masks, hand sanitizing, taking temperatures,” said Pastrama. There are many negatives to running a business during 2020. “The bills do not go away, rent, utilities, fees, and taxes are due, as a business owner juggling the financial
amount of customers. “We get roughly 350 to 400 customers a day. The number has been steady,” he said. Businesses need the help of the community to stay afloat.“We are continuously training and innovating. We hope we can provide new and exciting items in 2021. Running a business is definitely not easy, but if we continue to delight our guests and reduce wait time we will continue to grow,” said Ly. Customers can place their orders through bobateahouse.net. This way customers can avoid lining up, and just directly pick up their order. Medina, said, “The community has been supportive, but not enough to keep us going. The bulk of my business was the catering and special events. It would be helpful to order trays of food or even just dinner to go.” Customers can contact her restaurant through her phone number at (909)-894-0488 or place an order through her website, najwas.revelup.com. Pastrama said, “People could pay more attention to their donations. Sometimes those donations look so dirty, old, and are in a bad condition. They can consider not to donate those kinds of items or do a deep clean of them before bringing them here.” Doing this will greatly help those who take care of those donations, and make it more safe for employees. Consumers can visit UReach Thrift at their store at the address 24871 Redlands Blvd, Loma Linda, CA 92354 or call the store at (909)-796-4400. Small businesses are a vital part of our community’s economy and local culture. The pandemic is temporary, but the effects on the small stores can be long lasting. In order to keep these businesses alive, the community needs to support them, to make sure these effects are only temporary.
“ The bills do not go away, rent, utilities, fees, and taxes are due, as a business owner juggling the financial resources is very stressful.” -Najwa Medina resources is very stressful,” said Medina. The person to person conversations has been lost. “It’s always great to see our regular clientele come in with family or friends to hang out. We’ve also lost some staffing due to Covid. Keeping the team motivated can be a challenge,” said Ly. The number of customers for Najwa Mediterrean Cuisine, have been cut down to 35 to 50 customers a day. This is much fewer than the restaurant had before. According to Pastrama, the thrift store now gets about 70 to 80 customers a day. This is way less than the amount of customers, UReach Thrift had received before the pandemic. Ly on the other hand, still has a steady 14
