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The mass shooting at Solano Town Center mall on Oct. 30 has left more than a community shaken by gun violence. It also has businesses inside the Fairfield mall struggling with a sudden loss of customers and sales, prompting one business owner to warn Solano County supervisors that the economic fallout could threaten local storefronts during what should be their busiest time of year.
In a letter sent Monday to the Solano County Board of Supervisors, Liliana Espinoza described an immediate collapse in consumer confidence and foot traffic in the days following the shooting, which left one woman dead and six other people injured.
“Since the tragedy, our foot traffic has completely vanished, people are terrified to come shop, and our sales have severely declined,” Espinoza wrote.
October and November are typically among the most important revenue months for mall businesses, she said, warning that without immediate assistance, some storefronts could struggle to survive the month or meet payroll.
“We are experiencing substantial economic injury through absolutely no fault of our own,” she wrote.
Espinoza urged supervisors to coordinate with the California Gove...