WOODLAND, Calif. — It's no secret that small businesses have really taken a beating throughout the pandemic with many of them having to close their doors or lay off employees.
One of those small businesses is MusicTown Studio, a studio in Woodland that offers private studio lessons. The pandemic has caused its owner, Jason Esquires, quite a bit of stress.
"When the pandemic hit in march, almost overnight, we lost 40% of our overall enrollment, which was about 100 students," Esquires said.
This week the Governor's task force launched a new campaign called Shop Safe Shop Local. The purpose of this campaign is to encourage people in the state to shop locally.
"My hope with this initiative is that we'll see people come out the woodworks and say 'We need you," Esquires stated. "And when this thing is over, we want to continue to have the restaurants, and the coffee shops, and music studios, and hair salons that make up the backbone of the town."
Henning Mortensen, the owner of Bond Driving school in Sacramento, has also struggled since the pandemic hit, and he's hopeful that this new initiative will turn things around for his business.
“I think it’s a great thing that leaders of these state are actually doing something to support small businesses," Mortensen said. "I think Newsom has done a great job when it comes to all the different parts of the pandemic, and to have a task force that recognizes small businesses is really nice to hear."
This campaign is expected to run throughout July. The state has also teamed up with Google, UPS, and other big companies to provide resources for small businesses.
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The businesses put up a giant tent in the middle of the street to allow up to 55 guests to dine outside for both food places.