HomeMy WebLinkAboutWONG, TINA 072920
Marie Sunseri
From:Jill Bergman
Sent:Tuesday, July 28, 2020 5:26 PM
To:Marie Sunseri
Subject:Fwd: Street Closure Statement. Please read at the Town Council Zoom call.
Public comment. Jill
Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse typos or random words in this email while Apple works towards mastering auto
correct.
Begin forwarded message:
From: Tina Wong <mollyspup@aol.com>
Date: July 28, 2020 at 2:47:37 PM PDT
To: Jill Bergman <JBergman@danville.ca.gov>
Subject: Street Closure Statement. Please read at the Town Council Zoom call.
Reply-To: Tina Wong <mollyspup@aol.com>
***CAUTION***
This email originated from outside of the Town of Danville. Do not click on links or open
attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Hello,
I am writing in regards to the Friday through Sunday Hartz Ave street closures. While I
appreciate the Town Council looking for a creative way to support the restaurants, I
don't think it's working for the restaurants and especially is not working for retail.
Since the closures began on the July 4th weekend, my weekend business has been down
40%-50%. My Monday through Thursday business has held its own, so the only
differential is the street closure. (My weekend numbers are worse now than when we
were Shelter In Place and Molly's was one of the few stores open).
The block from Prospect to School Street is totally deserted during the day especially
since the restaurants on our block do not open for lunch.
I started Molly's Pup-Purr-ee in Danville 24 years ago. Molly's has become a destination
boutique. I have customers who come from the entire Bay Area and beyond. They love
our dog friendly town and the hometown feel of Danville. For the past 4 weekends,
customers have commented that it looks like a "ghost town" and express their concerns
for our downtown's survival. Several of my customers have told me that they only make
the attempt to come to Danville because of their loyalty to my business. This does bring
concern for any potential customers who avoid the area due to the traffic on Railroad
and lack of parking.
1
When I voiced concerns about the lack of foot traffic, it was suggested that I should "put
a table out of merchandise". That is not an option for me as I don't want to
encourage customers to not practice social distancing as they're digging for a deal.
Customers have also expressed their shock when they witness the lack of social
distancing and mask wearing at our outdoor restaurants. I live on the westside of
Danville and neighbors have told me that after seeing the party atmosphere that was
taking place at some of the restaurants, they don't feel safe downtown. I was saddened
to hear that Harvest is now closed due to employees who have contracted the virus.
I'm hopeful that the Town Council will review the comments from the merchants with a
sense of urgency and come to a solution that can benefit both restaurants and retail. My
business will suffer greatly if we have 5 more weekends of Hartz Ave being closed.
Tina Wong
Molly's Pup-Purr-ee
425 Hartz Ave
Danville, CA 94526
(925) 820-8222 ph (925) 820-4330 fax
www.mollyspup.com
2