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Santa Barbara County Bars Try To Rebound In Wake Of Months-Long Coronavirus Shutdown

It’s a Saturday night, and a popular downtown Santa Barbara bar is busy.  The Red Piano is open for the first time since March.

Jason Jones is co-owner of the nearly four year old State Street Bar.  He says it's been tough worrying about paying bills while the doors were closed, and not knowing what to tell employees.  But, two days into reopening, business is good, with virutally every indoor and outdoor table occupied.

There are people in booths around the Red Piano, and a few people spread out at the bar.  Thanks to the city of Santa Barbara, there are also tables out on the sidewalk and the closed street, surrounded by a little fence.  But normally, you’d find people gathered around the piano in the center of the bar, singing and dancing.

It’s the first weekend Santa Barbara County bars are allowed to be open.

Some are, but others weren’t ready yet.  The Red Piano’s regular customers are thrilled.

Joe Ferrera is a regular customer who's a regular at the Red Piano.    He says it's nice to be able to visit the night spot again, and he really likes the sidewalk and street seating. 

With bars still closed in other parts of the state, Santa Barbara is even attracting some tourists out to have fun.  

Jones is working behind the bar tonight, because they are short handed.  He says about a third of their staff members are concerned about coming back to work and being exposed to coronavirus.  Jones says they've made it clear that people shouldn't come back before they are comfortable with it.

Jones says it’s critical that Santa Barbara gears up, and gets its tourist season back on track.  It makes up the bulk of the bar’s business.  But, he’s grateful to local residents who are regular customers, who have been reaching out to show their support during the three month long closure.

With many of the restaurants, and bars on State Street doing solid business with the help of the street closure, and al fresco dining and drinking, the bar owner is hoping the city will keep the program.

The next few months are critical for bars like this, because it’s the time of year they make the most money, something which helps them through slower fall and winter periods.  

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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