Despite recent restrictions, San Mateo County business owners continue to adapt and survive

Co-owner Craig Wiesner said the store was allowed to have around 20 people inside until the recent restrictions. It will now only have four or five customers in the store at one time, while other customers will have to wait outside. The order’s timing also hurts as the weeks leading up to Christmas are usually the most profitable ones of the year. He expects to see a dramatic reduction in revenue and people visiting the store. Wiesner said while traffic will be down during Christmas, he has managed to be creative and adapted to their changing restrictions.

“From a business standpoint, I am confident we are going to make it through this. From a personal standpoint, I am devastated by the loss of lives and the business around us,” Wiesner said.

Wiesner said people in San Mateo during the pandemic have been supportive of the store, which has been around for eight years. While gift and toy sales have been lower, people have continued to buy lots of books since March, ensuring the store survived.

“They saved our business,” he said.

The pandemic has also changed the store’s business model. When it closed back in March, it pivoted away from its traditional business model and set up a complete online bookstore where people could order any book available in print that had been published. It now does Zoom sessions with people where employees walk around the store to show customers different books and toys. It also switched to curbside pickup, and the store will bring requested items to someone outside. Reach and Teach also does private shopping for individuals by request. The store plans to continue its online bookstore even after the pandemic ends.

Needing relief

Bay Home and Linens at 253 S. B St., is dealing with the prolonged loss of customers and business over the past year. Manager Lina Wea said the store is not making any profit currently, and she is just focusing on staying afloat.

“We don’t know whether we can make it or not; it’s day by day for us,” she said.

Many people who might typically shop at the store are too afraid to come and visit, with most people now shopping online, she said. The store only remains open at 20% capacity during the stay-at-home order, which means it only has four or five people inside at a time while other customers wait outside. Curbside pickup has also been a problem, as there isn’t any parking space available in front of her store because most people are taking the parking to pick up food from restaurants.

“It’s been tough,” she said.

Wea said San Mateo had been frugal in the grants it makes available, unlike San Francisco. She has not received any satisfactory answers from the city about receiving more financial help and wants better answers about how officials will help. She said she has been ineligible for some local grants available because she lives in Burlingame and is not in an eligible zip code, even though her store is in San Mateo. She hopes the state or federal government can provide relief funds to San Mateo County businesses.

Restaurants uniquely hit

Akash Kapoor, founder and owner of Curry Up Now restaurant in San Mateo, said the recent restrictions had stopped outside service and changed his business. Curry Up Now at 29 S. B St. had recently put up patio heaters, a tent and a bar outside for its outside service. The restaurant had full patio service for two days, and it closed the patio to meet county restrictions. Kapoor said he had to let bartenders go right before the holidays because the restaurant no longer has outdoor service.

“It’s a huge bummer for us,” he said.

Kapoor said his San Mateo location had taken big financial hits since the pandemic started, and the next two months will be tough for business. Not having corporate catering revenue has also hurt finances. However, he believes Curry Up Now will get through the pandemic. He has adapted with curbside pickup and moved to mostly online orders while trying to reach new customers. Despite his adaptations, some of the changes have been rendered useless. Since the pandemic started, Curry Up Now has reworked its front entrance instructions for customers around 10 times, but with the new stay-at-home order, it no longer matters.

“It’s a very uncomfortable time,” he said.

B Street and Vine restaurant owner Steve Spieller said the stay-at-home order forced him to move up a few days the temporary closing of his restaurant during the holidays. The restaurant, at 320 S. B St., will now be closed from Dec. 18 until Jan. 5. Spieller said he spoke with staff about moving up the normal holiday shutdown and is working with them to find solutions for times when the restaurant is closed. The pandemic and subsequent restrictions have devastated the restaurant, as it relies on music, performances and crowds to sell food as a cafe and wine location. The restaurant has been getting by thanks to loyal customers who order food and get it through curbside pickup, Spieller said.

Bridgette Cheng, co-owner of Winner Winner Chicken at the Hillsdale Shopping Center, said the closures and instability of the changing restrictions hurt business. Winner Winner Chicken is now doing takeout and delivery to meet regulations after a few months of having indoor dining. It had a grand opening in early March and was open for a week before closing. The restaurant has since reopened and closed a couple of times since. The county and state restrictions make it impossible for Cheng to plan long-term operations, adding extra stress to an already tough year.

“The hardest part is not having any control over it,” Cheng said.

Cheng said the restaurant’s financial revenue has not been what she hoped it would be, but she is grateful all employees still have work. She remains confident in the restaurant having success despite the setbacks.

“It’s definitely been a more challenging year than what we expected,” she said.

‘One day at a time’

Lisa Meteyer, owner of Elements Massage at 39 E. Fourth Ave. in downtown San Mateo, had to shut down her studio on Dec. 18 for the third time this year. She is confident she will see an uptick in people visiting when her business returns to full capacity.

“Surviving through the pandemic has been incredibly challenging for our small business, and we will get through thanks to the support of our wonderful clients, staff, landlord, vendors, franchisor and government assistance,” she said in an email. “It is without a doubt a team effort that we are taking one day at a time.”

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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