CHULA VISTA, Calif. — During the second week of businesses being closed due to shelter-in-place orders, small businesses are feeling the coronavirus economic impact - leading "mom-and-pop" shops to crowd-funding sites for help.
The closing of an entire stretch of small businesses on popular Third Avenue in Chula Vista has been devastating for many small business owners, but some are still holding out hope for help.
"We stopped everything to open up this business and be a part of our community, and now this,” said Third Avenue Village Association President Kendell Manion.
Manion said the coronavirus lockdown is drastically impacting small businesses.
“I think that's kind of the scary part, how do you plan for something like this? How do you project from here because we don't know what it's going to look like when we open back up again?” Manion said.
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Manion, her husband Mike, and his parents have owned Third Avenue Alehouse for five years. The business has now been closed for an entire week.
"The impact would be devastating for us. This is how we live. This is how we provide for our family," she said.
A mother of three small children, ages nearly 1-year-old, 3 and 4 years old, Manion is also an employee of a retail shop that has also closed down. She said stress and bills are mounting.
"It gets very overwhelming at times. I can only focus on what’s in my control," she said.
Manion’s neighboring shops on the typically bustling business district on Third Avenue share her pain. Closed location after another, from a barbershop to a shoe repair to a nail salon with no customers or money coming in.
“I think a lot of small businesses are the same way. You make sacrifices, and were out there daily,” she said.
Help is out there for small businesses, but where do owners start?
"Everything's changing so much right now. So every day it's a different resource or a different loan."
Software company Intuit just started the Small Business Relief Initiative where mom-and-pop shops can raise money on GoFundMe and have a one-stop-shop resource for the public wanting to donate.
Currently, there are 235 active campaigns for San Diego businesses.
"I think that's the scariest part, watching other people who may not be able to make it out of it and the fear of that and the reality of that is very sad,” Manion said.