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Some South Coast Businesses Still Struggling To Recover From Double Whammy Of Thomas Fire, Flood

Natalia Govoni says her Milpas Street lingerie shop lost 50% of its business as a result of the Thomas Fire, and flood, but businesses is now starting to improve

It’s a quiet, soothing atmosphere as music plays in a small lingerie boutique on Santa Barbara’s Eastside.

But, for more than three months, the 400 square foot shop, Sheer Delights Lingerie & Accessories, was way too quiet for owner Natalia Govoni. Like many businesses, her store was hard hit by the double whammy of the Thomas Fire and the Montecito debris flow.

She opened her store in Santa Barbara four years ago. As a small business owner, the weeks of forced closures was almost catastrophic. Business was off by about 50%.

Many businesses throughout the region were hard hit. Even if they weren’t in the immediate disaster zones, sometimes their customers were impacted, or employees couldn’t get to work because of road closures. The fact there was not one, but two unexpected disasters pushed some businesses to the brink of financial disaster.

Phillip Barton Grimley is owner of Carpinteria Glass Company. The nearly four decade old company has 18 employees, but many were idled by the twin disasters. Grimley says between the disasters, and then continuing evacuation orders business was disrupted for more than three months, creating a nearly disastrous financial crisis.

He says it took until Mid-March for operations to get back to normal. The glass company owner says he applied for a Small Business Loans to try to get back on a solid financial footing. Grimley says it took a long time, but some help is finally arriving.

Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara met with some small business owners in Montecito to hear from them about how the aid process can be improved. He says just like the situation for people who are rebuilding their homes, rebuilding some businesses could take years.

Govoni says while it was a rough three months, business is starting to pick up at her Milpas Street boutique. She’s optimistic recovery is truly underway.

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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