johnny56/ John Walker
Face of the Recession
Shopkeeper Alicia Reyes slowly watches her American dream of running her thrift shop in the small community of Mendota, California, slip away in the struggling economy on the Valley's westside, as she patiently waits for customers. Behind in city utility payments, her water was turned off, and is behind in electric bills, which her daughter is helping pay, and is struggling to make her $500 rent for the building on 7th Street. The money she took in from one customer for half a day Monday: $5.00. She gets plenty of foot traffic in the shop from unemployed workers, but she says they usually don't buy anything, but are there to kill time and look at her wares which she buys at yard sales. The unemployment rate is almost 40% in the city.
John Walker/ The Fresno Bee
Face of the Recession
Shopkeeper Alicia Reyes slowly watches her American dream of running her thrift shop in the small community of Mendota, California, slip away in the struggling economy on the Valley's westside, as she patiently waits for customers. Behind in city utility payments, her water was turned off, and is behind in electric bills, which her daughter is helping pay, and is struggling to make her $500 rent for the building on 7th Street. The money she took in from one customer for half a day Monday: $5.00. She gets plenty of foot traffic in the shop from unemployed workers, but she says they usually don't buy anything, but are there to kill time and look at her wares which she buys at yard sales. The unemployment rate is almost 40% in the city.
John Walker/ The Fresno Bee