The fires in California have been devastating for many small business owners and others who saw their homes, businesses or livelihoods go up in smoke.
Raquel “Rockey” Smeir startedMy Friends Café in Sierra Madre, California, in 2021. While the fires spared her building, she dealt with power outages, the mandatory evacuation in the area of staff, customers and the entire community. When she got back to the building, she had to deal with lost revenue, spoiled food and a devastated community.
