Government Shutdown Impacts Local Small Business

The government shutdown equates to nearly a week of no pay for hundreds of thousands of Americans, including a small business owner in Santa Barbara.

Michael Cohen, owner of Santa Barbara Adventure Company, is enduring big losses because of the shutdown.

“We’re looking at $2,000 a day in lost revenues right now,” Cohen said. “We’re putting numbers at $30,000 and for us at the end of our season, it is painful.”

The closure of the Channel Islands National Park meant cancelling kayak excursions and camping trips for hundreds of his customers. He said October will be a wash, financially.

But the Santa Barbara native says he is turning “lemons into lemonade.”

Cohen is offering deep, 50 percent discounts on some rentals to federal employees, furloughed because of the shutdown. Once the situation is resolved, he’s offering a 25 percent discount for a trip to the islands, to those same employees.

You’ll find more information about these discounts on the blog at the bottom of their website at sbadventureco.com.