The lingering effects of the recent government shutdown are still being felt at local grocery stores — especially small, family-owned businesses like Blue Fig Farms, where owners say customer traffic dropped significantly throughout November. Now, they’re hoping shoppers will return.
Blue Fig Farms, located on Stockdale Highway, has been serving the Bakersfield community for just about a year. But owner Kahlid Mansour says uncertainty surrounding the shutdown began hurting business long before it officially began.
“I guess people were scared — not knowing how long the government shutdown would last,” Mansour explained…