DENVER -- A shopping center near 56th and Central Park in Stapleton is brand new and the only store, Paws n’ Play, is ready to serve its customers, but nobody is around.
Owner Bob Corman said he owns two other stores in Arvada and Denver and all of them have taken a hit.
"We opened in the middle of a very difficult time," Corman said. "Right now, all three stores are having a very tough time and my biggest concern is just keeping the stores open, keeping my employees working and not having to lay anybody off."
When Corman opened his latest store two weeks ago, he never expected having such a steep hill to climb right off the bat.
"This was almost two years of planning," Corman said. "I’ll be honest with you, we were scared to death. We had an initial hoarding situation going on for about a week and then business just fell off."
After seeing about an 80% drop in business, he’s worried about keeping the lights on and paying his employees. So he said he has stopped receiving a check and is also asking the community to not forget about local businesses like his.
"Please shop local, please support your local businesses," Corman said. "I mean, all these products in this cart are made right here in Colorado. It’s probably the scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my life, is trying to keep these stores open but we’re committed to keeping them open."