""We've worked so hard for this. We've been doing this for 20 years. We have to fight to keep this place open - it's what we love to do,""
""No one was walking around. It was June. Nobody's walking their dog,""
""In this whole shopping center, everybody is an immigrant.""
Sick City Records in Echo Park has operated for nearly 20 years, selling rare vinyl, vintage band tees and offering barber services from a single chair. Co-owners Jesse Lopez and Brian Flores cite rising rent, a month of desolation after the Eaton and Palisades fires, and widespread ICE raids that scared away customers as major factors in declining revenue. County data show 43% of Latino business owners reported revenue losses of 50% or more since June. By October the shop was two months behind on rent, inventory stagnated, and barber clients became sporadic. The owners have started vending at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and launched collaborative events to try to stay open.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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