Information for Downtown Business Owners

Complete survey results are available here using the links provided. Graphs and charts make the results easy to quickly understand.

The password for each is: 123456

• All Retail – 55 respondents, 13 questions 
• All Restaurants – 48 respondents, 8 questions
• All Other Services – 24 respondents, 12 questions

Figures regarding the survey response rate for each category is below and includes the response rate for a prior survey in early July. The Retail and Restaurant response rates for the current (August) survey were 71% and 70% respectively. The July rate was ten points higher because it asked business owners to weigh in on extending the program from 4 weeks to 12 weeks. This was an important issue for the owners who participated.

The Service category response rates for July and August are much lower because the financial success of service businesses is much less tied to Main Street Moves and Downtown Ventura Partners’ current efforts. As experienced with the Retail and Restaurant surveys, the Service response rate dipped from July to August (48% to 25%), reflecting the more pressing nature of the July survey. 

These are some of the more interesting results. For a complete picture, please view the full results using the links above.

• Response rate was 71% (55 out of 78 business owners)
• 9 out of 10 respondents have businesses located within the Main Street Moves footprint. The other respondents are in the surrounding Downtown area. 
• 1 out of 6 retail owners (16%) is not sure they will stay in business beyond Christmas. 
• 4 out of 6 retail owners are confident they will remain in business.
• 3 out of 4 retailer owners say their success “very much” depends on the success of downtown as a whole.
• 35 owners (64%) say Main Street Moves is helping them, 9 (16%) say it’s hurting them and 11 (20%) says it’s too hard to know or it’s not impacting them.

Regarding extending the time period that Main Street Moves remains in place:

• 10 retail owners (18%) want the event to remain in place until the current city permit end date of September 14
• 15 owners (27%) wish for it to continue through December
• 5 owners (9%) prefer longer into 2021 generally
• 25 owners (45%) want the event to continue until the pandemic ends

To improve sales, retail owners are trying a host of different strategies. A sample of those strategies include the following.

• 30 out of 55 say they are either selling online for the first time or expanding online sales.
• 18 owners say they are putting eye-catching displays outdoors.
• 7 owners indicate they are trying successful strategies shared by others in their industry.

When asked how store sales would be different if the streets were open to cars, half of respondents believe sales would be down, close to 20% believe sales would be up, and 30% were not sure.

Another question asked about limiting pedestrians to sidewalks, thereby reducing the ability for them to socially distance. Retail participants were asked “How much do you think it would change pedestrians’ perception of risk of exposure to the virus?” Half of participants believe it would increase perception of risk, 15% feel it would not change perceptions, and the remaining participants are unsure. 

Sales for June and July

The retail sales figures for the months of June and July are concerning. When asked to compare June 2020 sales with June 2019 sales–and then to make the same comparison for July–the results are all over the board. 

While some business owners have experienced sales 40, 50, or even 60% above sales last year for the same time period, others show 40, 50, and 60% drops below last year.

Comments from retail owners convey sentiments such as:

• Sharing frequent and extremely positive comments from visitors 
• Satisfaction with greatly reduced engine noise
• Strong support for a permanent closure
• A desire for the return of live music initially offered in late June, which has been postponed until county restrictions are lifted
• Concerns regarding distance to porta potties, behavior of skateboarders and homeless individuals, and difficult interactions with people unwilling to wear a mask

Note: Two porta potties have been added as of August 28. That brings the total to four.

Comments include:

• “Customers have shared that during this time where Covid 19 is not under control, coming to Downtown Ventura gives them a feeling of peace.”
• “Customers … enjoy the openness and ‘European feel’ of dining, shopping and walking around freely with their friends & family.”
• “We need a safe place to work, [and] you are definitely making that happen!”
• “We would like to see the street closure to be permanent. The effect of the closure beautifies Ventura, enables social distancing and provides better opportunity for all the businesses. Parking on Main Street limits pedestrian accessibility. Pedestrian accessibility enhances retail sales on Main Street.”
• “I would still prefer a long term vision for a permanent pedestrian mall with proper planning into how that gets financed and maintained.”
• “Some of my largest sales were made after 7pm. More retailers should consider staying open during this busy time while the weather is good.”
• “There are so many variables and unknowns right now with regard to the shopping experience. Bottom line, business is doing great, and whatever is contributing to that I’d love to see continue.”
• “Fall generally slows down so would be nice to keep things fresh and exciting downtown during that time to entice people to come out still.”
• “Enforce skateboarding ban, provide a place for them elsewhere”

These are some of the more interesting results. For a complete picture, please view the full results using the links above.

• Response rate was 70% (48 out of 69 business owners)
• 2 out of 3 respondents have food and beverage establishments located within the Main Street Moves footprint. The other respondents are in the surrounding Downtown area. 
• Almost half of all food and beverage establishments (46%) are not sure they will stay in business beyond Christmas.
• Close to half (48%) are confident they will remain in business. 
• 33 owners (69%) say Main Street Moves is helping them, 9 (19%) say it’s hurting them and 6 (12%) says it’s too hard to know or it’s not impacting them.

Regarding extending the time period that Main Street Moves remains in place:

• 5 restaurant owners (10%) want the event to remain in place until the current city permit end date of September 14
• 9 owners (19%) wish for it to continue through December
• 4 owners (8%) prefer “until sometime in 2021 but before the pandemic ends”
• 30 owners (63%) want the event to continue until the pandemic ends.

Sales for June and July

The restaurant sales figures for the months of June and July are alarming. When asked to compare June 2020 sales with June 2019 sales–and then to make the same comparison for July–the results were all over the board and dramatically negative. This is similar in nature to the retail experience for those months.

While some business owners experiences sales up to 50% above sales last year for the same time period, others shared results up to 70% lower than last year.

Comments from food and beverage owners conveyed sentiments such as:

• strong support for making the closure permanent
• statements conveying that without the closure, they would be out of business
• concerns over the presence of disruptive homeless individuals
• concerns over the ability to survive upcoming inclement weather
• Strong concerns shared by those located outside the closure of the dire impact the event has had on their level of sales

Comments included:

• “I think it might be nice permanently … it’s impossible to drive down Main when it’s crowded anyway.”
• “[Make it] forever. A permanent, level street pedestrian mall with public bathrooms, a small amphitheater, and plumbed with gas and electric would be awesome!”
• “Without it we will go out of business”
• Concerns regarding “Angry, Rude, Confrontational Customers refusing to be seated in accordance with COVID regulations.”
• “Winter is going to be a challenge. Because of the trees and light poles, we really can’t provide very good shelter from the rain.”
• “We need support from the city to help us stay open, there’s not enough business to pay employees and rent”
• “The homeless are an issue; they linger around, act out and make people uncomfortable”
• “The City needs a plan to allow for some [permanent] element of what Main Street moves is providing … Investment [to remain] viable long term is hard without any direction from the city, and a continual question on how long the [event] will be allowed.”
• “We respect what you did and the help you have given to the business owners on Main St. Now it is time to consider every downtown business’s needs and not just those on Main St. We tried to suck it up and do everything we could to stay afloat till the closure would end, but if it gets prolonged, we’ll be forced out of business.”

Owners who make up the service sector represent a large variety of businesses.

These are some of the more interesting results. For a complete picture, please view the full results using the links above.

• Response rate was 25% (24 out of 95 business owners)
• 30% of respondents are located within the Main Street Moves area and another 60% are located 1-2 blocks outside of the area.
• Only 1 out of 24 owners (4%) is not sure they will stay in business beyond Christmas. 
• 15 service business owners (62%) are confident they will remain in business.
• 1 out of 4 service business owners say their success “very much” depends on the success of downtown as a whole.
• 7 owners (29%) say Main Street Moves is helping them, 1 (4%) says it’s hurting them and 16 (67%) say it’s too hard to know or it’s not impacting them.

Regarding extending the time period that Main Street Moves remains in place:

• • 2 service owners (8%) want the event to remain in place until the current city permit end date of September 14
  • 4 owners (17%) wish for it to continue through December
  • 1 owner (9%) prefers longer into 2021 generally
  • 10 owners (42%) want the event to continue until the pandemic ends
  • 7 owners (29%) had no opinion.

Ability to provide services

A critical problem for many respondents within the service sector is the inability to provide in person services. When asked, “Is our business model primarily based on customer/client appointments or reservations?” 6 out of 10 chose the response “Yes and the service can only be provided on site.” Upwards to 20% of respondents had no work in July.

Revenue for June and July

The services revenue figures for the months of June and July are even more alarming than the restaurant figures. When asked to compare June 2020 revenue with June 2019 revenue–and then to make the same comparison for July–the results were all negative. 

Of the 20 businesses providing information, on average they performed 50% worse than the same time last year.

Comments from service business owners conveyed sentiments such as:

• positive comments about DVP’s work during the pandemic
• concerns by salon owners and aestheticians about the inability to reopen and how much longer they can hold on
• concerns regarding homeless individuals, large-scale graffiti, and wearing face coverings

Comments included:

• “It has been very disappointing, frustrating and challenging. It is a hard time for me and after 33 years of working in the downtown area, I believe I’ll be doing more work remotely. Leaving downtown is heart breaking for me.”
• “Make downtown blocked off permanent and put planters down the middle with trees. Start at starbucks, not at fluid state. It will attract more tourism $$ and better options for food.”
• “Free advertising would help estheticians and the like (masseuses.) We are losing our businesses left and right. We have taken out loans and money is depleting fast.”
• “I approve of the changes you have made with downtown. Continue until this pandemic is over, even if into the first quarter of 2021 – or beyond?”
• “Dont see much support for salons reopening, speaking out to support us.”
• “I want to continue my architectural practice in my current location.”

Downtown is potentially facing a challenge with 1 out 6 retail businesses indicating they may not remain in business past December 2020. Most of these businesses are located on an 8-block stretch of Main Street. If each of the businesses mentioned above went out of business, it would result in 12 new vacant storefronts in this concentrated commercial area. There are currently a half dozen vacant storefronts. 

The change in monthly sales for June and July compared to the same period in 2019 is wide ranging. There is no solid pattern that can indicate where our downtown retail is likely headed. 

On the surface, the average sales levels look decent. Retail performed in the 95-95% range of sales for the same summer months last year. However, for each business whose sales are up 60%, two businesses are down 40%. Also, the figures do not reflect expenses, without which it’s not possible to gain a fuller view of the stability of the group of businesses. 

During the Main Street Moves program, retailers could explore and experiment with strategies that are working for other retailers on the street. Only 18 store owners are putting eye-catching  displays outdoors and it’s unclear whether this might impact sales. Only 7 store owners are trying strategies shared by others in the industry. Future conversations could identify the extent to which owners are members of their industry associations and whether they consult with these associations to learn strategies that could be effective in Ventura’s environment.

The survey did not ask whether the street closure to vehicles should be permanent. Prior surveys asked this question with overwhelming support. 

Restaurants are suffering tremendously. Fifty percent are unsure whether they will stay in business beyond Christmas. Forty restaurants and food/drink establishments are located on an 8-block stretch of Main Street. If half of the restaurants went out of business, it would result in 20 new vacancies in this concentrated commercial area. Another 24 are located off off Main Street and losing 12 would also create visible gaps in our commercial district. 

The winter months will soon have a dramatic impact and will introduce another stressful round of decision making concerning investment in seasonal outdoor equipment. 

The change in monthly sales for June and July compared to the same period in 2019 is wide ranging. There is no solid pattern that can indicate where our restaurant group is likely headed. 

Owners of service businesses suffered worse performance for June and July than retail and restaurants. These are often “hidden” businesses, tucked away in office buildings, on North or South Palm or on the Mitchell Block. A Victorian home on Mitchell might house a chiropractor, family therapist, aesthetician, and massage therapist. When they are forced to remain closed during the state-mandated closures, they can become the “invisible victims” of our Downtown economic situation. 

Salons and tattoo services are less hidden but also severely impacted by the closures.

The survey achieved a low response rate among owners of service businesses. It was one third the response rate of the other two sectors. For many service business owners, it’s possible that they perceive that the state of the Downtown commercial district has little impact on the health of their own business and therefore did not reply. These businesses could include businesses such as insurance agents, auto mechanics, and engineers. They work in fields not dependent on lengthy, in person interactions with customers or clients. 

Of those who did reply, 75% (18 out of 24) said that the success of their business was either “somewhat” or “very much” dependent on the success of Downtown as a whole. 

It is clear we still have a lot of work to do as a community to ensure our Downtown is resilient as long as the pandemic continues to alter the economic landscape. 

Businesses are struggling in all three groups: Retail, Restaurant, and Service. For every three respondents doing better than last summer, eight are doing worse than last summer.

A majority of business owners in each group wish for the current program to continue either “until sometime in 2021 but before the pandemic ends” or “not until the pandemic ends.”  

Recommendations

We offer recommendations to guide us through the remainder of the pandemic.

First, plan now for winter challenges. If we continue the program for several more months, conversations among City officials and Downtown stakeholders are essential to plan for upcoming challenges related to the program. Winter will pose a set of problems for which solutions can be explored now.

Second, lean in to address obstacles that block the opportunity to implement strong solutions. Ongoing flexibility from Downtown Ventura Partners and City departments will be critical as we support Downtown businesses through the challenges ahead. If business owners are faced with too many restrictions and obstacles, along with pandemic challenges, winter could put them out of business.

Third, continue the strategy to “start with empathy.” Empathy greases the wheels for better solutions all around. Most individuals want to be seen and heard and understood. In difficult times, it is easy to lose sight of others and their struggles. We know it’s tempting to compare one business with another and view others’ suffering as less severe than our own. We have heard enough personal stories to know that often the public perception is inaccurate and unfair. 

Fourth, explore the possibility of both a semi-permanent and permanent closure. It would be a loss to return to “streets as usual” without beginning to explore the option of long-term closure to traffic. There appears to be strong support for making the Main Street closure permanent. This is evidenced in the July survey, where 86% of participating business owners wished to make it permanent. The breakdown includes 83% of retail owners, 79% of restaurant owners, and 98% of service business owners. Given this high level of support, we did not ask the question again in the August survey; however, comments in the August survey showed strong support among a large majority of business owners. Many factors are important to identify and weigh. The process would need to be thorough. It is understood that this would be an expensive proposition.

In Closing

The Downtown community and City have demonstrated the ability to successfully navigate issues together.  For now, as a whole, Downtown has settled into a stable rhythm offering a peaceful and safe environment for visitors and workers alike. The ability to bring our community to this point in navigating the pandemic is a testament to the fortitude of each person involved. 

This is going to be a long journey. Addressing future problems will require a sustained collaborative effort. Downtown businesses have been thrown into the deep end with no shoreline in sight. 

We commit to continuing our strong support for our Downtown business owners. We will find the shoreline together. 

161 participants

This survey measured interest in continuing the pedestrian-friendly event beyond its “soft” July 15 end date. Survey invitations went to all business owners whom DVP serves within the boundaries of our business improvement district.

The password for each is: 123456

All responses

• • All – 161 responses

By Industry

• • Retail – 64 responses (40%), Divided by location
  • Restaurants – 53 responses (33%), Divided by location
  • Service – 44 responses (27%), Divided by location

By Impact of closure on the owner’s business

• • People who say it’s helping – 54 responses (34%)
  • People who say it’s hurting – 21 responses (13%)
  • People who say it’s too early to tell – 42 responses (26%)
  • People who say it’s not impacting them – 44 responses (27%)

103 participants

This quick poll looked at the current level of support for the 30-day pilot closure idea. 

73% of participants supported the pilot street closure. The first bar chart shows the level of support from the May 5-9 survey. The second bar chart shows the level of support from the poll. 

85 participants

Targeting merchants largely within three blocks of Main Street, this survey looked at merchants’ outlook and the degree to which they might support a temporary pilot street closure of Main Street. Owners of 152 businesses received the survey and 85 individuals responded (56% response rate). The results are below.

The password for each is: evolve

• • All – 85 responses
  • Retail – 38 responses
  • Restaurants – 32 responses
  • Services – 9 responses
  • Other – 6 responses

93 respondents

The first survey l looked at financial stability and potential sources of funds for business owners. From this data, we guided many individuals through the PPP loan application process.