ThousandsexpectedattheStroll
There’s ice cream. There’s steak. There are all sorts of goods. There are tattoo shops. There are sunbathing iguanas. Yuba City’s downtown seems to have it all with around 90 businesses lining the streets.
And with today’s Summer Stroll, businesses are ready for a mad rush of thousands of people (10,000 or more are predicted) and reflecting on their time on Plumas Street.
Tami Davis, owner of Cupcake Magic, spent Friday morning cutting up strawberries in preparation for the Summer Stroll, where she will be selling chocolate-covered frozen bananas, ice cream sandwiches, and strawberry shortcake.
“Things have been bustling with graduations and weddings,” Davis said. “The heat’s coming, so that’s going to slow things down.”
Cupcake Magic has been in business for six years, and Davis has seen the seasonal ebb and flow of customers, as well as new businesses.
“Businesses still come and go,” Davis said. “Being a small business owner is a hard life, a hard venture.”
The only downfall to Plumas Street, she said, is the lack of parking (a sentiment echoed by many downtown businesses).
“It absolutely affects business,” she said. “They did a beautiful job (with the street renovation), but it’s not user-friendly.”
Malina Jamison, owner of Treasures and More, agreed with the challenge of parking affecting business.
“If there’s no parking, they just keep going and don’t want to stop,” Jamison said Friday.
The best part of her job, she said, is visiting with people from places like Australia, New Zealand, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
“People always come from out-of-town looking for the downtown,” Jamison said.
Meanwhile, Sutter Buttes Brewery on Friday hosted a number of residents flocking to the air conditioning and cold beer. Though it’s just off the Plumas Street stretch on Center Street, employees say it doesn’t really affect business.
Manager Kara Allen said owner Joe Federico has taken steps to make sure the brewery is visible from Plumas Street – like cutting down a tree and painting on the side of the building to advertise.
“We get quite a bit of foot traffic,” Allen said.
And though customers sometimes complain about parking, Allen said it’s not usually an issue since there is street parking and a few lots nearby. She said being sort of secluded from the rest of Plumas Street works for them.
“People come down here especially for us; it makes us feel kinda special,” Allen said. “It’s all about how customers are treated and how they feel when they leave.”
Don’s Shoes has been downtown for 43 years, and Don Nickel has seen many changes throughout the years.
“In the 1950s and ’60s, all the shopping was done in Marysville, so it’s changed a lot,” Nickel said.
Nickel agreed that parking remains a challenge he’s faced throughout the years, as well as competing with online shopping. But the shop has an abundance of Birkenstock and Saltwater sandals, which has kept them busy.
“Service is key to a small store staying in business; you can’t get fit over the Internet,” Nickel said. “The Downtown Association works hard at bringing people downtown during special events.”
Chanda Carleton, manager of Sopa Thai Cuisine and treasurer for the Yuba City Downtown Business Association, was also bustling around Friday dealing with the usual lunch rush and readying for the Stroll. Sopa Thai has been downtown for 14 years, and Carleton said the Plumas Street renovation enabled the restaurant to expand.
“Our biggest challenge it trying to get people to come downtown later,” Carleton said. “If we could get more businesses to open later... everyone would benefit.”