Scores of “nonessential” California businesses have been ordered to shut their doors as the state works to curb the coronavirus pandemic, but some are flouting those orders and choosing to remain open.
The Music Lab, a Yorba Linda business that offers music lessons, band rentals and instrument sales, is among them. So is Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores, although those locations are now offering curbside service only.
Bicycle shops also are open, which the state doesn’t address as either essential or nonessential.
Music Lab owner Victor Delgado is adamant about staying open.
“Have not closed my store in 29 years and not closing it now … sorry,” he said in a March 21 Facebook post. In another March 17 entry he wrote, “Please wash your hands.”
Delgado’s frustration is understandable. As the virus spreads, temporarily shuttered businesses across the state are grappling with the reality of lost revenue, lost customers — and in some cases, the prospect of going under.
The flipside of the coin speaks to public safety. Should businesses that are deemed “nonessential” remain open for walk-in customers and risk spreading COVID-19?
Amber, a former Music Lab student who didn’t want to include her last name, doesn’t think so. The store’s lesson rooms are tiny, she said, leaving virtually no room for 6 feet of separation between teachers and students.
“I don’t understand why he’s doing this,” she said. “But I don’t think he’s the only one at fault because families are continuing to bring their children in for lessons.”
Paycheck to paycheck
Delgado outlined his reasons for remaining open.
“The main thing I worry about is my employees,” he said. “These are people who love what they do. They are free-style artists. They don’t work at big corporations, and some are living paycheck to paycheck.”
Beyond that, Delgado said he needs to pay his bills to remain afloat. He said he has worked to sanitize his shop and ensure safety precautions are followed amid the health crisis.
“If they’re going to take one person to jail for staying open, they’ll take 20 million to jail,” he said.
The California Coronavirus (COVID-19) web page identifies businesses and events that are currently barred from being open, but the list is broad in nature and leaves plenty of gaps. The order went into effect March 19 and is in place until further notice.
What’s closed?
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- Dine-in restaurants
- Bars and nightclubs
- Entertainment venues
- Gyms and fitness studios
- Public events and gatherings
- Convention centers
- Hair and nail salons
Not fun and games
Economist Chris Thornberg, a founding partner with Beacon Economics, said the equation is simple:
“This isn’t fun and games,” he said. “These businesses will lose revenue in the short run, but there’s a long-term gain. If we get in front of this, we’ll be a great shape by the third quarter.”
Thornberg predicts a “nasty first half of the year” with the U.S. economy contracting by as much as 7%. But if businesses and residents adhere to the safety guidelines health officials recommend, that could turn into economic growth of 6% in the third quarter, he said.
“This will soon be over as long as we’re draconian enough in the short run,” he said.
An employee who works at a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store in Southern California complained Sunday that the company’s stores were remaining open for walk-in business, despite the order that nonessential businesses be closed.
“Managers, myself included, are being forced to work while sick just because we are short-staffed to the point that we cannot run the store,” the employee said via email.
When contacted Monday, employees at Jo-Ann Fabric locations in Santa Clarita and La Canada Flintridge said their stores were closed to walk-in customers, although they were offering curbside pickup service.
Spokeswoman Shauntina Lilly said the company’s distribution centers have remained open, as they are not subject to stay-at-home rules. Social distancing is being practiced at the facilities.
Lilly said hospitals and volunteers across the nation are relying on Jo-Ann stores for supplies to make critical items, including face masks, shields, scrubs and gowns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently ruled that home-crafted items are acceptable crisis response options when other supplies have been exhausted.
Car washes closed
David Delrahim, CEO of the Bliss Car Wash chain, announced Monday that all of his Southern California locations are closed. The company operates car washes in Palmdale, San Bernardino, Redlands, Moreno Valley, Aliso Viejo, Brea and Placentia.
“While we are legally permitted to continue conducting business, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the county order and in the best interest of our employees and customers, we have decided to close all of our locations because of COVID-19,” Delrahim said in a statement.
In 2018, Delrahim was cited for cheating more than 800 workers out of minimum wage or overtime pay at a dozen car washes and ordered to pay $4.2 million in back wages and penalties after a two-year court battle with federal authorities.
Bob Woodham, service manger at Santa Monica Mountains Cyclery, said his shop is open and busier than ever.
“We are essential to a lot of people who use bikes to commute and get to where they’re going,” he said.
