pandemic

Decades Old Furniture Store Weathers Pandemic Storm

NBC 7 spoke to an El Cajon furniture store employee that said the business has been scraping by and is now prepping to open back up Saturday.

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There was a glimmer of hope for thousands of businesses across California on Wednesday as the governor announced plans were in the works to let some businesses reopen.

Elected leaders in the East County fielded countless questions from business owners eager to open their doors again.

An El Cajon furniture store employee that said the business had been scraping by and is now prepping to open back up Saturday. Cash and Carry Furniture has been in business longer than 70 years and is determined to make it through this tough time.

Main Street in El Cajon was slow Wednesday, as expected with businesses closed due the pandemic.

"It was surreal. I think all of us felt, you didn’t know what was gonna happen next. Is the business gonna survive this?" said Lisa Schumsky, the director of operations for the store.

Schumsky told NBC 7 the business had to furlough most of its 23 employees. They were answering calls from customers and doing their best to get deliveries out when possible.

Newsom announced Wednesday that florists, bookstores, sporting goods and other stores considered low risk could reopen with restrictions, like allowing curbside pickup only. A safety re-opening plan is also required that includes social distancing and sanitation to protect employees and the public.

β€œSo those hard surfaces will be cleaned on a regular basis having hand sanitizer at the door for customers. Having masks at the front door for them if need be,” said Schumsky. β€œThe timing was really great with our governor announcing that we could open up here soon. So now we have our PPP money and we can move forward and open our doors. So we're excited."

Cash and Carry will reopen Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m.

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