SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — With Labor day signaling the end of summer, local business owners in downtown San Luis Obispo say they are ready for what may be a slow down in sales.
"We've gotten a lot of foreign tourist all year, but the local people, it's gonna slow down quite a bit because we get a lot of tourist from San Francisco and LA that's come up and that's about it for the season," said Kal Kastenek, owner of the Sports Forum.
Although many stores have sales going on, some say that throughout the year, it's hard to get the same traffic due to issues like trouble finding parking.
Metered parking has made some stores depend more on locals like Cal Poly students for business.
"Downtown parking is a bit of an issue, so people don't like to come down and shop as much and with all the kids living downtown they don't have to deal with the parking as much cause they'll walk or ride their bikes or carpool with friends," said Jennifer Daues, owner of Aura Boutique.
Some store owners say the number of sales after holidays like Labor Day have been quite predictable in the last couple of years, allowing them to plan ahead for their stores.
"Parents Weekend" at Cal Poly being just one event that usually spikes the number of sales for certain clothing boutiques.
Others from out of town enjoy being able to help the local economy while on vacation.
"We're not from here so the break, it's nice to get out and spend some money and see some things and get into some shops" said Andrea Pichhi who is visiting San Luis Obispo for the weekend.
