Labor Day not happiest holiday for local businesses

LYNN – After the United States economy failed to add any new jobs in August, Labor Day was met with trepidation from many local business owners.Joanna Pena, owner of Union Travel N’ Tours on Union Street in Lynn, said business has gotten so bad for her over the years that her once full-time staff consists of just her.”At one time I had seven full-time employees and the economy was good,” said Pena. “People were coming in and out and traveling. It seemed like there was a good cash flow at that time.”Now Pena said she does everything at the office and only hires temporary help if things get busy.”It’s just getting worse,” said Pena, who has a photo on her wall of her full staff from the early 2000’s lined up and in their uniforms. “I don’t see anything coming back. I had to let go the other full-time agents I had.”As her travel business has slowed down, Pena has tried other avenues, including a money wire service. Now she’s looking to get into the home and car insurance market, which Pena said should help her hire eventually.”I would like to be able to create jobs,” said Pena. “(Customers) trust me. I’ve been here so many years they’d probably insure their cars with me. I’m pretty sure I would have to hire people because I’d have a lot of clientele.”For Paul Delios, the manager of Kane’s Donuts in Saugus, business has been up and down in the three years since the economy crashed.”We’re at that first tier of discretionary income for people,” said Delios, whose family has owned Kane’s Donuts since 1988. “People instead of bringing a dozen doughnuts into work, they’ll come by the shop and just buy something for themselves.”The crash in the housing market has also had an effect on Kane’s, as Delios said contractors used to come in and buy two or three dozen doughnuts to bring to job sites. Not anymore.”I don’t see guys doing that type of building,” said Delios. “Hence they don’t come in and buy the couple of dozen doughnuts anymore. In my opinion people are working harder and struggling just as much. I think going and having a breakfast item is still the affordable out. I don’t think they can still go out and have that big dinner like they used to.”There has been one bright side to the sluggish economy, however. Last year, Kane’s was able to renovate the store and now has a more modern interior with new bathrooms, a parking lot and an outside seating area.”In a tough economy we could find more competitive pricing to do some reconstruction of the facility and we were able to clean it up, modernize it and bring it into the 2000s,” said Delios.But while the doughnut business may be weathering the storm, Agueda Jimenez, owner of Jimenez Market on Union Street in Lynn, said he family is just barely keeping the business afloat.”It’s getting worse,” said Jimenez, who has owned the market for 22 years. “People are not spending anymore the way they used to. Everything is so expensive.”Jimenez said her biggest expenses are electricity, rent and payroll, which is why she said most of her family works voluntarily.”It’s very hard,” said Jimenez. “What little money you have you have to invest in the business.”For some business owners, like Meredith Fruzzetti, who owns Rock Reunion Clothing on Lincoln Avenue in Saugus, getting creative has been the key to survival.”I think when the economy is this tough you have to get creative and find ways to beat it and not sit and be upset about it,” said Fruzzetti. “I’ll go to outside shopping events and show my merchandise ? I’ll create my own events ? and I’m being creative with social media and how you let people know who you are and what you do. You have to think more about that now.”But until things really start to pick up, Fruzzetti said her outlook on the economy remains grim.”The economy in general, I wish I had more faith in it getting better,” said Fruzzetti. “But I just don’t think it’s going to. Maybe another year of the tough times.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can