ESCONDIDO, Calif. — On the corner of Kalmia and Grand in Escondido sits ‘Laurel Glen,’ a local shop with Santa's, snow globes and other Christmas decorations.
“The busiest time of year is 40 percent of your business is in October, November and December. Especially the last four weeks you’ll see more customers in here than you do the whole year,” Peixoto said.
Peixoto has owned the shop for more than a decade in downtown Escondido. As she prepares for one of her busiest times of the year, construction is underway outside.
“In the 10 days the construction has been up the street, we have… we’re down 35 percent in our business,” Peixoto said.
Leah is concerned about the toll it's going to take on her business for months to come as phase two of the ‘Grand Avenue Vision Project,’ is in the works. The project includes roundabouts, street lighting and wider sidewalks.
“We are not opposed to the project, what we are opposed to is the timing of the project,” Peixoto said.
CBS 8 spoke to Escondido Mayor Dane White about the project, he said some of the funds tied to COVID had to be spent by the end of the year and congressman Scott Peters secured a million dollars for the project.
“There really is no good timing to shutdown a street, especially in a downtown like this. I do feel for the businesses who are gonna be impacted especially during the holiday season but like I said those funds had to be spent by the end of the year,” White said.
Meantime, Leah fears her store is at risk of closing down.
“I want to talk to them about the prospect of a grant so I can stay afloat,” Peixoto said.
Leah would like local businesses impacted by the construction project to receive some type of financial relief.
“I’m not saying that's not a possibility, I think it's something that the council would need to discuss,” White said.
Phase two of the project is expected to be complete by Spring 2025.