Some business owners satisfied, others waiting to open doors after phase 1 of city of Fresno's plan

Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Some business owners satisfied, others waiting to open doors after phase 1 of city of Fresno's plan
Fresno city leaders announced several authorized businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday, May 11.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Stan Grosz of Horn Photo is excited as he's getting ready to welcome back customers after weeks of being closed.

"A wave of relief," he said.

Fresno city leaders announced several authorized businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday, May 11.

RELATED: Fresno Mayor says auto dealerships, furniture stores and others can open on May 11

Many will have to provide curbside service and restrict the number of customers inside at a time.

"They said 5000 square feet is 10 people, so we'll keep it below 10," Grosz said.

Being an outdoor shopping center, River Park officials are welcoming the city's news as they start to work with their tenants to reopen.

"We are an open-air lifestyle center and because we have streets within our center, each tenant can have curbside in front of their space," says Tracy Kashian.

But not included in Tuesday's announcement was the reopening of restaurants or bars.

Full Circle Brewing Company announced they were forced to close their new location in the Tower District.

They've been able to stay afloat by doing curbside pickup and deliveries at their central location.

"We understand it's not an easy decision to make to allow some to open and still refuse others," says Jared Long. "We were able to adapt."

For the owner of Jugo Salad and Juice Bar and Vxyn, he says city officials aren't being fair to small business owners.

"Our restaurants are dwarfed by the amount of people I see at a Costco," Lewis Everk said.

Meanwhile, Grosz and many others are getting ready to open on Monday, and he hopes other businesses will soon be able to do the same in the coming weeks.