Placerville Businesses Rebound After PG&E Power Shutoffs

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) — Placerville had busy sidewalks Saturday as customers helped small businesses left powerless during the recent PG&E public safety shutdowns.

The Downtown Placerville Association renamed this Saturday "Retail Therapy Day" and shoppers responded.

Ruth Michelson owns the Placerville Art Gallery, one of the dozens of businesses hit hard by the shutdowns.

This weekend's special shopping sale to help Placerville retailers rebound was a big help to her bottom line.

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"I mean, it's the fourth quarter of the year that many merchants depend on and that we were closed for 7 days, during October, was pretty tough since that was part of the fourth quarter," Michelson said.

The bustling streets were in stark contrast to the dark and deserted storefronts during the power shutdowns where some businesses did stay open by flashlight or candlelight.

Now, it's back to business with the power on and business owners hope with wallets open.

The Downtown Placerville Association is now on to promoting small business Saturday Christmas shopping which is just two weeks away.