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by Carla Wells
When it comes to championing small businesses, Regina Van Brunt of the Downtown Redwood City Business Group (DBG) has one mantra: think outside the box. This simple phrase has guided her when working alongside business owners who feel their sales have stagnated, and one she continues to use through periods of economic instability.
As executive director of the DBG, supporting a 120-plus membership base, Van Brunt has also had to “think outside the box” in the 22 years she has operated in the downtown. During the pandemic, this played out in trying to keep spirits high when the much-loved Hometown Holidays celebration in Courtyard Square was cancelled. Instead of the community missing out on the festivities altogether, Van Brunt organized an event where people could decorate their cars and drive through downtown. “We gave out bags of candy to the kids, so at least they had something,” she said.
Dayna Marr, owner of the boutique Pickled, located on Broadway, also remembers having to adjust her business model during the lockdowns. For the first time since opening her brick-and-mortar store in 2003, she created an online sales option.
The boutique, which spans a magnificent 3,000-square-foot space and is known as a “destination store,” where customers enjoy receiving fashion advice while trying on clothes, had to replicate these services via FaceTime calls and a digital shopping cart. But despite this resourcefulness and reopening for in-person shopping five years ago, the beloved boutique hasn’t been profitable enough to continue operating; Marr announced on April 23 that she’ll be closing the store this summer.
“I actually made the ultimate decision to close the store due to high rent, lower traffic, big shift in retail in general,” Marr said. “Other than that, lifestyle habits have changed. People are still working at home. A lot of minimizing, uncertain economy…I’ve heard the whole gamut.”
Marr also shared that while loans and other forms of financial aid were available during the pandemic, some business owners are only keeping their doors open merely to pay them off.
When the lockdowns ended, Van Brunt warned her membership base that the effects would be long-lasting. “The aftermath of COVID is not over,” she remembers saying. “It’s going to take another five to seven years.” And she wasn’t wrong.
But even though businesses still haven’t fully rebounded, Van Brunt likes to emphasize the positives that came out of that period, including the embracing of parklets. Initially set up to accommodate mandatory outdoor dining, parklets have become a coveted addition for many restaurants, which benefit from the increased capacity and enticing al fresco dining experience. Van Brunt has observed that the new Mediterranean restaurant Mazra, which opened its Redwood City location in April 2024, consistently has a robust clientele, which is accommodated by this very addition. She added that while permits are now required to create a parklet, mainly for safety purposes, they typically take less than six months to obtain approval.
Another positive is the permanent conversion of the 2000 block, which was closed to vehicles, also to accommodate outdoor dining. It has since been converted into a permanent pedestrian-only thoroughfare, stimulating foot traffic and making downtown a more lively area.
Amid this revitalization, some businesses have still decided to close. City Pub, a local establishment for almost 34 years, “pulled its last pint” on May 14. On the other side of the spectrum, Argentinian bakery Baires, which opened in October 2024, recently shuttered just six months after opening. In an April 8 Instagram post, Baires cited “the rising costs of essential supplies…coupled with a noticeable decline in consumer purchasing power,” as contributing factors to its abrupt closure.
“Everybody has a reason why they’re going to sell something or get out.” Van Brunt explains. “Maybe they don’t want to be here anymore. Maybe they found something that they think is more lucrative…We hope the economy gets better.”
In the meantime, she is doing everything in her power to support them. For a nominal fee, the DBG members are offered help with grand openings, networking opportunities with other business owners, and bi-weekly meetings to discuss any concerns.
When the City announced they’d be closing the Marshall Garage for maintenance in April, 387 parking spaces were going to be unavailable in an area where customers already complain about scarce parking. Van Brunt was quick to negotiate with the local officials to reduce the three-month estimated out-of-service time. The garage reopened on May 1.
Van Brunt also worked on the committee to have Measure BB passed, a policy that begins to take effect on July 1 and will reduce taxes for small businesses (while raising them for large ones). She admits that fighting for the measure made her some enemies, and even lost her some sponsors, but that her heart is with small businesses. “We represent the little people. We represent the people that really need the help.” And when the measure was approved with an 83.77% vote on November 5, 2024, it was clear that the majority of Redwood City voters share her sentiment.
This common interest in supporting small businesses is helping alleviate the shock of an unpredictable economy, which is currently amplified by tariff volatility and a lack of consumer confidence; local proprietors are also banding together.
When Van Brunt heard that Zareen Kahn, the co-owner and chef of Indian-Pakistani restaurant Zareen’s, was writing a cookbook, she was excited to see its eventual release. To her surprise, when she walked into the newly-opened Fireside Books & More, “Zareen’s Pakistani Kitchen” – which she co-wrote with husband Umair Khan – was already prominently on display.
“When I walked in, there was Zareen’s new cookbook, front and center, and they’re advertising her restaurant, and they’re advertising her! I got tears in my eyes…, ” she said. She called Kahn straight away to congratulate her. Kahn hadn’t even seen the display yet.
As for the impending closure of Pickled, Marr has been humbled by the outpouring of support since announcing the closure. “A lot of customers have come in very disappointed. It’s very much a community and a family,” she shared. “It surprised me how emotional it was those first couple of weeks…it was a hard decision to make and I certainly didn’t want to let anyone down. It was very touching how much we have been part of the community.”
Even though the iconic store, as customers know it, will no longer be there, she hopes to maintain an online presence at pickled-clothing.myshopify.com and continue thinking outside the box. “I may consider going to a smaller location. I may consider doing pop-ups,” Marr said.
“Right now, it’s hard to make any decisions, Marr added.
