Shopping venues adapting to ongoing pandemic
Many businesses throughout the YubaSutter area have struggled to keep the doors open and the lights on through the ongoing pandemic, as revenues are down significantly.
However, the area has seen cases of COVID-19 transmission go down in recent weeks, resulting in the state lifting some of its heaviest restrictions on businesses. Local business owners say they are starting to see more activity around the area as they continue to adapt to the unprecedented situation.
Glimpses of what’s happening in a few of the area’s bigger trade centers:
Downtown Yuba City
“We are starting to see an improvement in sales,” said Sandee Drown, president of the Yuba City Downtown Business Association and owner of Happy Viking. “We’ve all had to get creative within our
own businesses to keep our doors open.”
While sales are improving, there has still been a huge loss in revenues compared to normal years. Drown said the association has been working hard since the pandemic began to get the latest information regarding COVID-19 out to businesses so that they know what the latest requirements are without having to do a bunch of research and take time away from their business operations.
“The way we run our day-to-day business, there was a huge revenue loss that we couldn’t really anticipate, so it was a huge adjustment. Retail and restaurants were impacted the most, but the majority of businesses have been impacted by COVID-19,” she said.
Drown said the most frustrating aspect of the ongoing pandemic has been with the inconsistent messaging coming from state and federal agencies, especially trying to keep up with the governor’s orders, which largely allowed big box stores to continue operations while heavier restrictions were placed on small businesses.
“It was nice that he gave us the tiers so at least there is some consistency with the different industries, but I can tell you a lot of big box stores are still not impacted by the tiers. They’ve been in business since day one, so it was just frustrating because it was not a fair playing field,” Drown said.
With so much uncertainty moving forward, Drown said, the hope is that local businesses are able to survive and that owners don’t lose their entrepreneurial spirit.
“I think today we know more about COVID, so there are many lessons to learn, and my hope is that we are able to have a downtown again where people feel safe,” Drown said.
Yuba Sutter Marketplace
Despite the pandemic, most stores in the Yuba Sutter Marketplace have seen sales go up significantly since the mall reopened earlier this year.
Ethan Conrad, CEO of Ethan Conrad Properties, said the mall is complying with all state and local regulations with regards to COVID-19. He said the mall has a variety of new leases that are pending, and they should be able to announce two or three of them within the coming weeks.
“The only real notable closing is Sears, who is in the process of closing virtually all of their stores across the country, and this closing really hasn’t affected the property,” Conrad said.
“In fact, it’s paved the way for leasing the building to a much better tenant.”
Conrad said his team is in the process of obtaining approvals for a couple projects planned for the site, including new pylons and a monument sign program.
“Great things are in store for Yuba Sutter Marketplace with the retailers that we are finalizing leases with,” he said.
Downtown Marysville
Downtown Marysville has also adapted to the ongoing situation. Mayor Ricky Samayoa said business owners have done everything they can to minimize the spread of the virus. He also credited the Yuba Enterprise Support (YES) Team for working with local businesses on how best to set up their respective spaces in a way that keeps residents safe and doors open.
“We haven’t seen the official numbers yet in terms of impacts to sales tax dollars, we will be getting a report at an upcoming meeting, but overall, the city has stabilized from where we were back in March and April when everyone was staying home,” Samayoa said. “Luckily for us, we rely on sales taxes from fuel and fast food, and those didn’t take too big of a hit during something like this. Overall, I’ve seen a lot of folks enjoying the downtown area, especially with the cool weather, and businesses like the Silver Dollar have done a great job expanding their patio.”
Samayoa said it is likely foot traffic and sales will remain below normal until a vaccine becomes available to the public. He said the city has benefited from booming sales tax revenues from its cannabis dispensaries, as well as healthy financial reserves, to help balance Marysville’s budget and ensure the level of services residents expect remain intact.
“From Ellis Lake to Historic Downtown Marysville, we as a city are focusing our energy on ways to make it a place where people go and enjoy their time. When people visit the downtown area, it attracts other businesses, and we can offer something that you cannot get from online shopping, which is customer service” Samayoa said. “So, building those experiences and places will be crucial for our commercial corridor. Our job as a city through Community Development is to build out those places that people want to come from all over to visit.”