Beginning in July, small business owners in and around Topanga will be able to apply for one-time grants of up to $10,000.
Topanga Canyon Boulevard, also known as State Route 27, shut down in early March due to a major landslide near Pacific Coast Highway. The road, which is typically used by tens of thousands of drivers each day to commute between the coast and the San Fernando Valley, will remain closed until at least the fall as Caltrans cleans up and makes repairs, the state agency announced in April.
The closure has impacted small business owners dramatically since much of their business comes from people passing through town. “I mean, like, we are like 50% down since the closure. So, you know, it's been like a few months, but we roll up our sleeves and start working,” said Enrico Busto, who owns a custom hat shop in Topanga. “So we funded this nonprofit called Visit Topanga Canyon. So we are bringing all the businesses together and try to, you know, organize something.”“So every second Saturday of each month we organize music all over Topanga.
“It's really just the road that's closed and you can get all the way to every single business from the valley side, you know, all businesses are open,” he explained. “You just can't get to the beach. So we've been trying really hard, you know, really desperate to spread the word that, hey, we're open for business, Come spend your money. It's business as usual.”