Shoppers were back in full force at San Ysidro retail centers looking for the best deals of the season.
"I bought backpacks and shoes and clothes,” said Marydesy Aguilar, a shopper from Tijuana, Mexico.
A much-needed boost for local businesses still recovering from the border being closed to non-essential travel for nearly two years.
"It's definitely going to take a while just because the border closed for about 18 months and our revenue went down about 90% in those 18 months," said Govina Figueroa, owner of La Coqueta. "So it's going to be a while but today has been a good day.”
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The traffic in the area backed up for blocks. Shoppers were seen with multiple bags in hand, and lines at stores were a common sight.
"We’ve been hearing from customers that they couldn't cross for over 18 months and that they’ve been waiting for the Black Friday deals,” said Figueroa.
Since the border reopened, Figueroa says she’s seen foot traffic at her shop increase by about 60%. While Friday was no exception, Figueroa says the amount of shoppers who have returned still doesn't compare to years past.
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"It's been going well," said Figueroa. "It's not back to 2019 numbers, definitely not back to 2019 pre-pandemic numbers, but we’re performing a lot better than we were a month ago.”
As her business slowly recovers Figueroa remains hopeful that this is only the start of a profitable holiday season.
