The citizens of New York should be praised for the discipline they displayed to dramatically drop COVID-19 numbers and reopen their economy. The citizens of California—not so much. For the first time in my life, I’m not excited to be working in a trending “hot spot.” Still, there are success stories to be told, and CMA plans to feature some heroic retailers, shopping districts and small businesses who are “Taking it to the Mattresses” to find ways to flourish in a difficult California economy.

This week’s California retail heroes: the merchants of downtown Truckee.

When I traveled back to Folsom from CMA’s Tahoe office, I took a “long-cut” through downtown Truckee to see how they were handling the pandemic. When I drove into town, I crossed over the railroad tracks to see a stunning display of re-constructed outdoor restaurants. From the moment I arrived downtown, I could see everyone sitting outside in the most amazing make-shift venues, with trusses and staging borrowed from what looked like a Wanderlust Retreat. No detail was too small. There were gorgeous lighting fixtures, and tables with white linens in a plush outdoor dining area. Many of the outdoor areas were embellished with floor to ceiling curtains, outdoor spritzers to stay cool and rollout heater lamps in the wings for evening dining.

The downtown retailers left Truckee Love messages on each store front, motivational writings promising better days are ahead. Merchants displayed makeshift storefronts located outside their front door with merchandise and creative visuals to entice shoppers to stop by and take a look.

As I strolled the rustic, cozy streets of Truckee with my restaurant beeper in hand, the shops greeted me with gentle reminders to wear a mask and to use sanitizer before entering. I couldn’t see the actual smiles on the tourists faces, but I could feel joy in the air.

Encouraging signs were placed throughout downtown motivating us to just stay after it during this dilemma. There were Jerry Garcia messages on windows and signs saying, “Gotta Get Up to Get Down.” A local agency, takecaretahoe.org, provided signs plastered all over the streets with upbeat graphics and fun sayings. One read “Riding This Out with a Mask.” Another said, “Every Bunny Wears a Mask in Tahoe,” while a third read “Go Big on Distancing.” The slogans provided happy and smart messaging without being preachy or pushy. These stores and restaurants were figuring it out and thriving—for now. With winter right around the corner it is going to be difficult, but judging from what I saw these merchants will figure out how to Keep on Truckin.

Source: takecaretahoe.org