NOGALES, Ariz — Morley Avenue businesses rely on foot traffic from Mexico to make money. But all that changed when the Morley crossing closed in September.
“Because we could just keep going, it affected us, it affected us a lot," said Karla Ibarra, an assistant manager at Kory's Bridal. "But I'm just hoping for the best now that it's open."
Businesses rely on the holiday season to generate most of their revenue for the year. But this past season was very different with little-to-no foot traffic.
"The sales we get from this season, we use to buy for our next seasons," Ibarra said. "So, our sales were down, they were very low."
Down the street, Higos coffee opened in November. For them, aside from cutting hours, it was business as usual.
"Usually, business was good, except for a couple of weeks that were slow," said Enrique Soltero, a chef at Higos Coffee. "We still have everybody that opened the business. But we cut the hours a little bit so that we can stay in business."
The crossing reopens at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.