Downtown Santa Cruz shoppers take advantage of Black Friday sales amid a changing business landscape

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) --As Black Friday kicks off, many are asking if local stores will still see crowds or if online shopping will continue to dominate. 

This comes as more storefronts in downtown Santa Cruz are closing.

Big chains in downtown Santa Cruz like Forever 21 as well as more local businesses like Rock and Roll Donuts and Cruz Kitchen and Taps have either already closed or are in the process of closing.

Now, Comicopolis is asking for the community’s support to keep its doors open.

Many downtown businesses in Santa Cruz are struggling with less foot traffic and rising shop vacancies. 

For businesses like Comicopolis, the decline is hard to ignore.

"There's been definitely a bit of decline for us in particular," Troy Geddes co-owner of Comicopolis. "The busses are going around that big loop across the street. They used to drop all the you see kids down the street here. So we'd have dozens and dozens of students coming by every single day, that foot traffic is completely vanished for us."

Despite the tough year, Troy from Comicopolis is hopeful, thanks to the outpouring of support from the community. 

But, challenges persist that range from competition with big-box retailers and online shopping giants, to simple safety concerns.

"The online competition is ridiculous. you know, all the amazons and all the big box places, that's hurting everybody," Geddes said.

"Online shopping, you know, the global pandemic certainly affected sales and that my sales never really recovered to full capacity since then," Suna Lock Creative director and owner Stripe Design Services said. "I don't know what the future holds for my business in our downtown."

Business owner Suna Lock of Stripe Sesign also points to downtown safety concerns as a growing deterrent for shoppers.

"The traffic is greatly diminished and I see people who used to be regular and loyal customers and i have a team that they've moved away," Lock said. "Just don't come downtown anymore, it's expensive to park, there's a lot of social behavior downtown.

Despite the closures and looming uncertainty for businesses downtown, some longtime residents believe the changes are part of a natural cycle.

"In my lifetime, i've seen many businesses come and go," Walter Abarnes from Santa Cruz said. I don't believe foot traffic has anything to do with it, it's just a flow of what's trending."

Though downtown Santa Cruz faces tough times, there is still some hope among shoppers.

"It feels pretty vibrant again like it was before online shopping became popular and before the pandemic," Jane Reid from Santa Cruz said. "It's really gratifying to see people coming down here as much as they are."

While the future of business in downtown Santa Cruz remains unclear, the community is hoping that with the right kinds of support, it can make a comeback.