Retail’s road to recovery looking long and bumpy San Diego retailers are reopening their doors just as Memorial Day arrives. But even the beautiful weather and extra time off may not bring stores the traffic of years past, as shops attempt to shake off the tremors running through the retail industry. San Diego’s biggest shopping malls are waking up, but slowly. Westfield has announced that all of its local malls, which include Westfield UTC, Mission Valley, North County, and Plaza Bonita,...

(Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Need a hair appointment? Get in line. Salons and barbershops are officially allowed to reopen in San Diego County, stirring an emotional reaction from hairstylists and salon owners throughout the region. But good luck getting an appointment any time soon. The news broke late Tuesday — first from Gov. Gavin Newsom and later by San Diego County officials — that barbers and stylists can safely return to work Wednesday, as long as they adhere to a...

Despite meager crowds at other San Diego malls last weekend, Westfield UTC sees steady traffic The Westfield UTC shopping mall — once a bastion of social gathering, dining and shopping in San Diego — might have been dead on opening weekend, like several other malls across the county. But on its first open Saturday since the 10-week pandemic shutdown began, Westfield UTC was bustling with signs of life. The mall is one of several Westfield locations to reopen its doors this weekend, including...

(Sydney Prather / For The San Diego Union-Tribune) By the time Dan Buxton arrived at his store Saturday night, smoke was billowing out of broken windows. Sprinklers had drenched what was left of his shattered shop, Play It Again Sports, one of the hardest-hit small businesses wrecked by the weekend riots in La Mesa. Despite an outpouring of public support Sunday — and hours of work picking up the pieces of his business — Buxton’s store still sat in shambles Monday morning. Broken glass lay in...

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday announcement about the reopening of some retail businesses by Friday had both shoppers and shop owners anticipating a swift change in San Diego County. But concerns are rising as to whether any changes will come to fruition. Newsom announced yesterday that low-risk retail companies such as bookstores, music stores, toy shops, florists, sporting goods retailers and others can reopen for curbside service Friday under guidelines to be announced Thursday. This has led...