Business beyond the pandemic
Local business slowly but surely getting back to business as usual - News 11's Arlette Yousif reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Small businesses were hit hard during the pandemic, and some were unable to bounce back. One local business that was able to get through the tough times. The Coffee Bean and Espresso Bar welcome longtime customers and new faces to stop by for a cup of joe. And now they're even more grateful.
A local business slowly but surely getting back to business as usual, and the owner's son gives credit to his mother for the progress.
"[Claudia] has a personal relationship with a lot of the customers. She knows them by friends now. She sees a lot of people out in the street. And now I would say she's a pretty established community member. She does a lot to help out with everything too," says Coffee Bean and Espresso Bar Co-Manager Victor Diaz, who happens to be the son of Owner Claudia Diaz.
One customer says he will keep coming back.
"They’re really friendly here. They’re very welcoming. Every time I come in here, I always get smiles and a hello. And it’s nice to feel welcomed into a coffee shop here in Yuma," explains customer Davon Madrid.
Claudia Diaz began working at the coffee bean 27 years ago in 1994. She became the owner in 2007. Her son Victor grew up seeing the family business grow and now helps his mom run the day-to-day operations.
"During covid, initially, we did lose a lot of people who just didn’t want to come in. We lost a lot of people who were pretty upset that they couldn’t come in and sit down and eat. And at first, it was kind of a struggle and especially with employees and everything. It was hard to get everything fitted and keep going according to normal, how a normal business would run," says Diaz.
As the pandemic drove many small businesses to the ground, some made it through the storm with outdoor patio seating, curbside pick-up, and delivery options. This coffee shop is getting busier and busier as the days go by.
"We do get a lot of people that call in and still ask like 'are you guys open yet?' 'do you have dine-in?' stuff like that. So we’re still kind of veering our way back to normal, but I think we’re well on the way to being used to how it is now," explains Diaz.
On their way to normal like the rest of the community.
"It’s nice to see a good place like this in the Yuma community," says Madrid.
