A Long Beach business owner is hoping the city will implement new safety measures after multiple vehicles have crashed into her store.
Emily Yep owns Magnolia and Willow, an antique store in Long Beach, where three vehicles have crashed into her store over the past eight months.
“It made a catastrophe inside,” Yep told KTLA 5’s Jennifer McGgraw. “It’s almost all glass and pottery that was broken this time.”
Yep said the City of Long Beach needs to do more to help protect her business. She fears for the safety of her employees and believes it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt at her store.
“The stress and anxiety that this has given me and my family is just unexplainable,” Yep said.
The city has put temporary barriers outside her store, but that didn’t prevent the latest vehicle from damaging her business.
“From her standpoint, the improvements need to happen now and I agree,” said City of Long Beach employee Eric Lopez. “We’ve applied for a $20 million grant from the federal government. We just haven’t gotten the money yet.”
Yep said it’s too alarming that her store has been damaged several times. She’s frustrated with the lack of action from the city.
“It’s insane that the city expects us to live like this,” Yep said. “How am I supposed to be doing business in an environment like this?”
Her employees are also concerned for their safety.
“In each spot that we’ve gotten crashed into, it’s such a close call for us,” said Mariah Perez, a store employee. “We could’ve been standing there.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows a July 4 incident where a vehicle plowed through the front of the store. Yep says she is also scared an innocent bystander could be injured or worse if the city doesn’t do more to deter drivers from speeding through the intersection.
“How are they supposed to feel safe walking their baby in a stroller?” Yep said. “Am I supposed to feel safe having my 4-year-old son here?”
City council members acknowledge that the temporary barriers are insufficient to keep the business and its employees safe.
Officials say they will make the safety of the intersection a priority moving forward.