LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Tuesday’s dust storm may have passed, but for businesses along Tropicana Avenue the damage didn’t stop when the winds died down.
Even though the lights are back on and traffic is moving again, business owners in the area say they’re still picking up the pieces.
“Everyone on this block was definitely affected,” said Vice President of Operations at Great Buns Bakery Deborah Morelli.
At Great Buns Bakery, they didn’t lose power – but their phone lines and internet went down for days.
“So it was just a trickle down effect and then it also affects the retail store because we have credit card machines that need the internet to process those as well,” Morelli said.
Foot traffic plummeted and with Tropicana blocked off, many couldn’t even get to the bakery.
“That was probably our biggest hit that we took,” she said.
At Chapala’s Mexican Restaurant –they lost power completely, but even after the power came back, the damage was already done.
“They got the power going but the streets were blocked off, you know, nobody can get here,” said owner Jose Flores.
Flores explained, after it was all said and done, he lost thousands of dollars – and he’s not the only one.
At Letty’s Beauty Salon, it wasn’t power – but fear that kept customers away. Many canceled appointments, too afraid to drive near road closures or risk tickets.
“Clients would tell me ‘Letty we’re scared to go over there and enter through a spot that’s not permitted’, so they would just cancel the appointments,” owner Leticia Faurrieta said in Spanish.
Leticia estimates her salon lost about $4000 last week – money she depends on to stay afloat.
“If we don’t work, then there is no money and if there is no money, there is no way to pay for our expenses,” Faurrieta said.
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