"Beyoncé had four concerts scheduled in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium for her Cowboy Carter tour. So the store tucked in Santee Alley where 24-year-old Osorio works selling cowboy boots and other Western-style clothing was the perfect stop for fans. Osorio expected, or perhaps hoped, the store would see similar traffic at the start of the Thanksgiving holiday week. After the tumult of President Trump's immigration crackdown, that remains to be seen."
"Some merchants are "living sale to sale, customer to customer," said Anthony Rodriguez, president of the Fashion District's business improvement district, a private group of property owners in the area. "These aren't big-box stores. These are family-owned and, in some cases, generational businesses that more than ever need L.A.'s support. If people can come down and just spend $10 to $15 ... that's how we can make a difference.""
Beyoncé concerts previously brought heavy foot traffic to Santee Alley, where a small store sells embroidered shoes, tasseled suede dresses and cowboy boots. After a series of immigration raids and mass arrests, protests and deportation fears emptied the Fashion District for several weeks, with storefronts shuttered and workers staying home. Conditions have improved somewhat, but merchants remain financially strained and depend on holiday shoppers. Local officials and activists are encouraging Black Friday shopping and holding a weekend festival to attract customers. Many family-owned, generational businesses are operating sale to sale and need even small purchases to survive. One store marked boots down $30 from $160 to attract wary customers.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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