Longtime Santa Rosa pie shop closes due to COVID-19 while other local businesses reopen
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- Some small businesses in Sonoma County took a small step forward Friday. They were allowed to reopen for curbside pickup under new rules from the governor.
But that moves comes too late for a local pie shop.
The last pie has been sold at The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa, where owner Trish Davis was saying goodbye at a distance to loyal customers.
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"We faced every disaster one could come up with short of locusts in the last few years, we've struggled," said Davis.
Last Thanksgiving, ABC7 News was there when a planned PG&E power shutdown nearly put Davis out of business, hundreds of pies needed baking. Years before that wildfire evacuations closed her shop indefinitely.
But now, the deadly pandemic has delivered the final blow.
"This time we needed to regroup and so we're waiving the white flag," said Davis.
This bakeshop was considered an essential business, and Davis tried doing take-out for a while but it didn't feel right.
"It wasn't worth selling pies to people, let's face it, pies essential? While sacrificing the health and safety of our staff," Davis added.
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Other retailers across Sonoma County reopened Friday for curbside pickup, from vape shops and jewelry stores to the Village Art Supply.
That's where owner Kristen Kiriakos was delivering paint supplies to a customer's car.
"It's not business as usual. It's going to take a while to get back to where we were," said Kiriakos.
She's laid off 13 employees but hopes to bring them back to work soon.
Back at the pie shop, Trish Davis and her crew are hanging the closed sign for the last time and locking the door.
"We're sad to let it go, I hope others can survive this," she said.
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