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COVID-19 In Pennsylvania: Small Business Owners Worry 3-Week Indoor Dining Ban Will Bring Less Foot Traffic

SEWICKLEY, Pa. (KDKA) - With new restrictions on the way, concern from small business owners is rising. In small towns, those businesses rely on the foot traffic, much of it coming from restaurants, and many tell us they are barely holding on.

"It's been a trickle at times and a windfall at times so we are just riding the roller coaster like every other small business," Paula Johnston said.

Johnston is a small business owner in Beaver. She said with every announcement from the state, foot traffic in the downtown area dwindles.

"People are afraid to come out. They are following him and we get that, but we just really -- as a small business owner, we rely on that foot traffic and we hope it continues," Johnston said.

But Johnston is afraid it won't. There are 15 restaurants in the downtown district that bring people to the area, but now those doors will be closed.

"It's scary times, it's been really challenging," Johnston said.

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Another small business district facing the same challenges is Sewickley.

"I've been here 31 years, it's sad to see places go, but how much can you bear before you say 'I can't do this anymore?' The bills are piling up," Janet Daugherty said.

Daugherty owns a small shop in Sewickley.

"It's a small town, the chamber depends on fundraisers. We lost Sewickley Unleashed which is the dogs, we lost the wine walk, the chocolate walk, the soup crawl, night walks, the harvest festival," Daugherty said.

Daugherty told KDKA the latest mitigation efforts are a blow to small businesses even though her doors can stay open.

"It's a town where people will say 'I don't carry this item, but let me send you to a store who does,'" Daughterty said.

She fears this could be the end to many small businesses across the region.

"If we don't have them, what do we have? The United States of America is made up of small businesses that's what has kept this country going," Daugherty said.

Business owners are hopeful that people will support the restaurants with pickup will still stop by and support them too.

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