Fig 1. The McClure Family and Eduardo Garcia holding the a banner stating the award given to the Pizzeria. The banner congratulate the business as "Small Business of the Year" ( Corissa Ibarra/Calexico Chronicles).
Before I met Blanca, co-owner of George’s pizza, I became friends with her younger son. I don’t remember when exactly I met her, but I know her as a sassy lady who knows when to joke around and when to be serious. She’s also a kind and social person. She is very fond of Minnie and Mickey Mouse merchandise and she has a collection of Starbucks limited edition cups, most of them in the pizzeria. She always gets super happy when she finds something with Mickey or Minnie mouse like the time I gifted her a Minnie Mouse mug. When I mean she is a sociable person I mean it as she knows almost everyone in town, maybe some people from out of town as well. It’s a bit scary how easily she finds what she wants with her many connections she has though. When the pandemic rolled in, many people, including myself, were afraid of what was going to happen to the world. I was worried about how the pizzeria was going to pull through with the news of many independent businesses closing and the social distancing affecting the stores and services that were still open. Turns out that they were doing well enough with customers ordering take-out. Since many of the restaurants are closed, many people opted for take-out and many customers come from different towns. Despite not having the option to dine in the restaurant is thriving instead. I recently started working there and there is never a shortage of tasks to be done. Every day there is a new story to tell when I get home and it’s always fun working with my co-workers. The pizzeria is a family business so I always see Blanca and George, her husband, and their eldest son there. Every day I work is fun and always greet them and the customers with an enthusiastic, “Hello!”
During the Pandemic many businesses closed and many others had to close permanently. No one expected a virus outbreak and many business owners weren’t equipped for it. Many businesses had to close due to not being able to keep up with bills and payments to unrelenting landlords. What help did they have to keep their business open? What hope did they have to keep going? One article state that the government had created loans that businesses could use. Another said that the local, loyal customers are the reason why businesses are thriving during the pandemic. Despite the government giving out loans,the independent business owners refuse to take any in fear of adding on debt to the ever-growing pile. Loyal customers, on the other hand, visit their local businesses once or twice a week and by doing it they support them. I see that the local businesseshave the love and support of their loyal, local customers whose hearts would break to see their favorite restaurant or store disappear after many years in the corner of main street or the place they stand on. All we the customers can do is go and buy their products and support them.
The pandemic has affected many things like school and socializing. One thing it has affected the most are businesses. Blanca McClure, co-owner of George's Pizza, is one of those people whose business was affected. George's Pizza is a pizzeria that has been in Holtville for over two decades. Most if not everyone in town knows the McClure family. I myself know them personally since I'm friends with the younger son and work part time in the pizzeria. When working, Blanca is seen talking to customers at the cash register, chopping up veggies, taking orders through phone calls, and among otherthings. She is a serious person, but she does know when to have fun. There are times inside the pizzeria when there would be a line of people picking up their orders, both lines would be ringing and other tasks would need to be completed. Yet she would quickly and swiftly complete them with practiced movement. A little fun fact is that you can order a hot Cheeto pizza, pretty wild huh? Anyway, as I spoke to her, she told me that the pizzeria wasn't as affected as other businesses. While they had the dine-in option, most people would pick up their orders. Since other restaurants closed due to the pandemic, it helped the pizzeria stay open with its take-out option. I care for the family since over the years I have gotten to know them from Blanca who loves Starbucks cup and Minnie mouse, her husband who is a bit quiet, but quirky their eldest son who is a co-worker of mine, their grandma who's fun to be around and to the youngest son who I have been friends with since middle school. I know that anyone who knows them wouldn't bear to see the pizzeria close down.
Many people had their business for years only to be shut down by something no one was prepared for; COVID-19. Birthdays, weddings, family gatherings were cancelled as well, and people were locked up in their houses with fear of the virus. The pandemic spread far and wide trapping the world’s population from friends and family for the better part of 2020. It has affected many families who lost family members, jobs, and even family businesses. With the world coming to a stop, it’s no wonder that many things will be different when the pandemic calms down a little. Tony Davis, a comic shop owner, said, “No one had the reserves to get through something like this.” His quote holds a lot of truth because where I live there are many independently owned businesses. One met the unfortunate fate of shutting down and others are considering closing up for good instead of paying for rent. No one would have expected a contagious virus that would take over the world forcing them to close shop to protect themselves and stopping the spread. Some shops were lucky enough to have mail shipments or take out. Others weren’t so lucky and struggled with theirs. Many of them had to let go of employees as well. It’s a bit sad that when the pandemic is over, or the worst of it, many neighborhoods will change.
I met Blanca through her younger son that I have known for years. A lot of people know her and her husband for many years since their restaurant opened. I now work part-time at the restaurant and it’s fun if not tiring. Two things someone can notice when walking are dozens of Starbucks cups and Mickey Mouse merchandise that decorate the restaurant. She has always been infatuated with Mickey Mouse and almost every day has something new to show me. Same with Starbucks when new cups were released, she was upset she didn’t manage to get one. On a good note, she did manage to get one.Going strong for over twenty years the restaurant was recently awarded as the best small business of the year. I remember her being on the phone with her younger son who told her, who was told by a friend, about the billboard with a picture of her and her husband. After she hung up, she turned to me and said surprised, “My face is on the billboard coming into Holtville”. I was surprised as well. It’s not every day you find out you're on a billboard. Later that week she showed me a picture of the billboard and there they were with bright words stating their achievement. A little fun fact is that they used to sell pasta at the restaurant before I was born.
Fig. 2. The sign thanks the local people for their support (The Milpitas Beats).
Blanca's job is not easy. Working from Tuesday to Sunday she spends most of her day and night in the restaurant. Working with part timers like me during the day, leaving for a while to run some important errands and coming back to finish for the day. From preparing ingredients and dough, to tallying up the day’s earnings, she and her husband don’t end up finishing until “around three of the morning”. It is exhausting doing it every night even on their day off. Every time I enter at the start of my shift she sighs in relief and tells me that she is barely eating breakfast. Ienter at four. As she spends most of her day away from home there is little time for herself.When the pandemic happened and everyone was to self-quarantine, she was a little bit worried, but that didn’t last very long. “People were doing more takeout than dining in so it didn’t affect us as much,” she said as I washed some vegetables. Many people walk in to pick up their orders everyday yet there are some people who ask when will the dine in option come back. While the idea is possible, she didn’t specifyany plans to open the dining option. Yet there is some trouble with the national change shortage, but everyone is considerate and leaves it as a tip.Yes, there are times when it’s hard and she feels like putting everything to a stop, but she doesn’t regret a thing. While everything is not back to normal as anyone would like, they will keep on going as strong as they can for themselves and their community.
The pizzeria is always filled with motion, attending someone at the cash register, preparing salads, answering the phone, and sometimes all three at the same time. Blanca is running around before I arrive to take over. The fear of not making ends meet and not having business is a long-forgotten memory. The business is doing great despite the new health restrictions placed on many public places. The community helps keep the business afloat and with the new title of “Small Business of the Year”, business has kept growing. New people come complimenting them about their billboard and stay for the pizza.The struggle through the pandemic might have slowed down and many businesses have reopened, yet there is the struggle of keep on going. The bills to pay. The health restrictions. There are many new things restricting these independent businesses and making their jobs harder, but it doesn’t have to be that way. As the pizzeria many loyal customers come in and buy almost every week. Many more come from different towns for pizza. Even my mom looks for certain things in independent shops before going to a chain store. That is a way to help the community and the independent businesses.
This I Believe: The pandemic has made many normal things much more difficult. While many people are going out doing their errands and shopping there are many things that still won't open, like dining inside of a restaurant. Yet the work never stops in the pizzeriaBlanca works nonstop like if it was a normal day despite the health restrictions and half of the services offered aren’t available. The pizzeria is still covered in Mickey and Minnie Mouse merchandise and Starbucks cups. It’s still in its same location. Even as the pandemic rages on this business will keep on shining and giving to the community for many years to come.
Work Cited
Bula, Frances, and Josh O'Kane. “Small Businesses Serving Local Residents Cope Better in Pandemic, Study Says.” Proquest, The Globe and Mail, 4 Aug. 2020, search.proquest.com/2430231?accountid=38876.
Dayen, David. “Unsanitized: Small Businesses Realize Small Business Loans Aren't Meant to Save Small Businesses.” Proquest, Newstex, 11 May 2020, search.proquest.com/docview/2400544006?accountid=38876. Estrada Mcclure, Blanca. “Co-owner of George’s Pizza.” Interview by Wendy Castro. Sept. 1-Oct 28, 2020.
Sances, Melissa Karen. “12 Small Business Owners on How Coronavirus Has Affected Them.” The Boston Globe, The Boston Globe, 23 Mar. 2020, 6:00 pm, www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/23/magazine/11-small-business-owners-how-coronavirus-has-affected-them/.
Tanner, Adrienne. “Neighborhoods Will Change without Small Businesses.” Proquest, The Globe and Mail, 3 Apr. 2020, search.proquest.com/2385839254?accountid=38876.