St. Paul businesses failing in wake of Minn. gov't. shutdown

By Gus Lubin

Downtown St. Paul is suffering the Keynesian multiplier in reverse (via @obsoletedogma).

Beyond the 22,000 public sector workers who are out of work during government shutdown, businesses that depend on government traffic have cut hours and laid off workers, according to the Star Tribune:

Matt Kramer, president of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, estimates the shutdown has taken about 3,000 state workers away from downtown. Businesses can probably endure for a week or two, but anything longer is concerning, he said.

"It's really important to remember that we have a very fragile economic recovery," Kramer said. "If you're a small retail operation ... people would be amazed how thin the margins are. If your business goes down 30 percent, you're going to have to make some significant adjustments on the spot."

Mai Nguyen of Mai Village (pictured) reports around 75 lunch customers, down from 175 before the shutdown.

Alinda Saurez of Pickerman's Soup and Sandwiches says: "I don't know even if we're going to make it for rent next month."

Read more at the Star Tribune

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