Businesses hope Black Friday brings turnaround

Rodriguez, president of the Fashion District's business improvement district, a private group of property owners in the area.

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EDWIN QUEZADA delivers mannequins to a store along Santee Alley in L.A.'s Fashion District on Monday.

(ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times)

"These aren't big-box stores," Rodriguez said. "These are family-owned and, in some cases, generational businesses that more than ever need L.A.'s support. If people can come down and just spend $10 to $15 ... that's how we can make a difference."

On Monday, Osorio said she made just one sale: a pair of utility boots.

She opened the store at 9:30 a.m. and sold the boots at around 2 p.m. They had been marked down $30 from their typical price of $160 because customers have been so reluctant to spend money, she said.

"We are waiting for the good times," Osorio said. "Honestly, I felt like it was going to be better this week, but it's been really, really slow. We just pray and keep the faith. Let's see what happens."

Small businesses in the area - which includes the historically vibrant, bustling open-air shopping corridor Santee Alley, known for bargain prices - are looking for ways to recoup some of their losses through holiday sales.

Foot traffic in the area is back at levels seen before federal immigration raids began in Los Angeles in early June, according to the business improvement district.

But Rodriguez said traffic fluctuates day to day and is "at the mercy" of rumors, at times false, of federal enforcement operations circulated among group chats of merchants and community members.

Such alerts prompt businesses to shut down at a moment's notice with "people literally running from their stores," Rodriguez said. He said that, one day, agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were conducting an investigation in the area and were confused for Customs and Border Protection officers.