SAN ANTONIO — In red, white and blue letters, a small business owner in San Antonio is voicing his frustration not about the coronavirus pandemic, but about the economic fallout that's sprung in its wake.
Brad Bennett owns Mega Vape in southeast San Antonio. Under Mayor Ron Nirenberg's stay-home order, his business is considered non-essential.
But Bennett refuses to close, even though he's supposed to.
"I'm not trying to thumb my nose in the face of the city, I'm really not," he said. "This is a personal decision that I have made to take care of my employees, my customers."
Bennett said city employees have stopped by his business no fewer than six times trying to shut him down. In response, Bennett painted a red-white-and-blue message to Nirenberg, posting in right on the front window of his shop.
It reads:
"Dear Mayor Nirenberg, yesterday, two city officials came here and demanded we close. Yet, liquor and convenience stores that sell deadly cigarettes are allowed to stay open. Why are you forcing vape shops to close when our customers need e-liquid and CBD for their well-being also? We offer curbside service and no customers are allowed inside. Strict social distance is maintained. Let's flatted the curve, not small businesses. Stop picking winners and losers. As long as they remain open, #WeWillNotComply."
Bennett says he is frustrated by Nirenberg's definition of non-essential, and wants him to reconsider his decision because it's hurting many small business owners like himself.
"I'm disappointed in the mayor for not having the confidence in our ability to come up with solutions in this crisis," Bennett said. "I don't really think the mayor thought through this whole process."
Unlike hair salons and massage spas, Bennett said his business is able to make safe adjustments to keep up with social distancing. Along with curbside pickup, his five employees have started to wear gloves and masks whenever they interact with customers.
More than 50 of them stopped by his business on Friday.
"Unemployment benefits, stimulus checks, the Paycheck Protection Program,—those have all been delayed," Bennett said. "If I close the store down, my employees are not going to get a check. They're not going to have any money, so it won't matter how many grocery stores are open. They won't have any money to spend."
Bennett has already received three Stop Work orders from the City of San Antonio. He still plans to open his shop on Saturday.
"I don't have the cash reserves in order to withstand this," Bennett said. "I just want the mayor, or someone from the City of San Antonio, to give me a reasonable argument as to why this isn't going to work for them."
During the City of San Antonio's latest briefing Friday evening, Nirenberg warned non-essential business owners that if they don't close, they'll be cited, fined and at risk of losing their Certificate of Occupancy.
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