> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Retailers feeling powerless - URL: https://www.smdp.com/retailers-feeling-powerless/ - Published: 2006-07-25T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T19:03:55.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Business, Promenade, #archive-import *Businesses at a loss without electricity* THIRD STREET PROMENADE — Shoppers’ faces were filled with disappointment and frustration Monday as they found many of their favorite stores and restaurants here closed for a third straight day following an underground explosion over the weekend that wiped out a portion of downtown’s power grid. Their displeasure was shared by business owners who learned that electricity may not be restored until later today, meaning another 24 hours of darkness, which has affected sales significantly. Some complained about the slow pace of repairs by Southern California Edison, which supplies power to Santa Monica. “We’ve lost a lot of money because all of our big-ticket items are in the back (of the store), and you can’t sell in the dark,” said Alex Elias, an assistant manager at Bernini, a men’s clothing store on the 1400 block of the Promenade. A meeting is scheduled for Aug. 8 with business owners and Edison officials to discuss the electrical infrastructure downtown to ensure that a prolonged power outage doesn’t happen again, said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside District Corp., which works with City Hall in managing downtown. “We’ve come to a screeching halt,” Rawson said.“We need to talk (with Edison) about our infrastructure to see where our shortcomings are and what we need to do to support what will only be increased usage in the future.” Downtown went completely dark on Saturday at about 5:15 p.m., when electrical vaults beneath Santa Monica Boulevard near Third Street exploded, sending manhole covers flying and flames shooting nearly 15 feet in the air. There were no injuries reported, but power was lost for much of the downtown region. “I just heard a big bang and then people started running to see what was going on,” said Andy Waller, who runs a shoe-shining stand just north of Santa Monica Boulevard. “People are definitely in a hot mood,” Waller said of shoppers turned away by hand-drawn signs, some with sad faces reading, “Sorry. Closed. No power.” “People are pretty feisty. They’re tired of this.” Following the explosion, the Santa Monica Fire Department on Saturday closed off the downtown area bordered by Ocean Avenue to the west, Fourth Street to the east, Wilshire Boulevard to the north and Santa Monica Boulevard to the south, according to SMFD Battalion Chief Carl Bjerke. Edison representatives said the explosion was caused by excessive demand that reached record highs amid a heat wave currently scorching much of the Southland. They suggested the culprit was most likely a short circuit in the electrical wiring. Mark Olson, a spokesman for Edison, said 1,900 customers were initially affected by the explosion. However, power to most of downtown was restored within hours, leaving primarily a small portion of the western side of the Promenade without juice. “Crews have been working hard and will continue to work until power is restored,” Olson said. “We should have power completely restored by (Tuesday) afternoon.” > “You can’t use the dressing rooms because its pitch black in there. We can’t work at night. We have to close up at dusk.” Olson said crews are pulling out a long section of high-voltage cable that was fried during the explosion,replacing it with a new cable and wiring. As of Monday afternoon, Olson said only 50 customers were without power. One of those left in the dark was independent shoe store Lorin, where, despite the lack of light and air conditioning, customers flocked looking for the latest in summer footwear. Skylights provided enough sunshine for shoppers to see what they were slipping their feet into, and employees carried flashlights to hunt through inventory stashed in the storage room. “We’re prepared,” clerk Megan Murphy said as she used a calculator to figure out the total of one customer’s purchase. “This has happened before. It’s never taken this long to turn the power back on though. It’s definitely caused business to slow down a bit since we have to close when the sun goes down.” While difficult to estimate the financial impact, both retail and restaurants have taken hits by the blackout, as expensive food items have spoiled along with the attitudes of shoppers who would rather go elsewhere than to hunt for bargains in the dark without air conditioning. “I feel very sorry for the workers,” said Kanika Gittens, who came to the Promenade to shop at Pink Ice, a clothing store which was closed because of the blackout.“It’s kind of sad. I guess we’ll have to go to the (Santa Monica Place) mall.” For restaurateurs,hope may lie in insurance, said Jordan Traverso, director of communications for the California Restaurant Association. “There’s really nothing you can do about losing your inventory,” Traverso said. “You just have to hope that you have business interruption insurance.” Traverso said tenants should apply for reimbursement from Edison, if possible. Olson said Edison does pay customers for any damages suffered because of power outages, but only in those instances where equipment failed, and not those caused by “an act of God.” “That is up to our claims department to determine,” Olson said. Traverso said if the outage was caused by a poorly-managed power grid, then Edison should pay up, however, it may come down to the old chicken and egg argument. “Was this caused by extreme demand because of the excessive heat, and if so, is that an act of God?” Traverso asked. “Or could it be global warming?” On the eastern side of the Promenade, which has been up and running since Saturday, it seemed to be business as usual. Merchants said they had not seen an increase in traffic because of a lack of competition from across the street. On the contrary, some said there was an eerie absence of shoppers, most likely because of the excessive heat and humidity. One said he even felt sorry for his competitors. “It’s terrible that they can’t function,” said Mohammed Tar, a clerk at Lids, which sells athletic shoes and hats. “You really forget how lucky you are to have electricity. We definitely take it for granted.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 25, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072506.pdf?ref=smdp.com)