Walking around downtown Saratoga these days, it sometimes feels as if the pandemic has become a distant memory. Both business owners and customers regularly go without face masks after the county’s mask mandate ended on March 2.

The level of comfort and normalcy are increasing by the day, but local businesses have encountered mixed returns to normal. While some have seen more stability with the mask mandate lift, others barely hang on despite the trappings of a more normal time.

Sean Lee, owner of Saratoga Dry Cleaners for over three decades, says his business remains in crisis mode.

“Trying to keep up the rent is the hardest thing,” Lee told The Falcon. “I laid off my employee and my wife and I are the only ones working here. Instead of living, I’m trying to survive.”

According to Lee, about 35% of the dry cleaning business has gone away in recent years, and he doesn’t see any sign of his business picking up, even with the mask mandate lifted. One reason is that many large employers still haven’t returned to in-person work.

“I’ve gone through 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis, but I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he said. “I’m still amazed that I’m here, but it’s been really, really hard.”

Down the street, the Chinese food restaurant Hong’s Gourmet has had better luck, although owner Victor Hong’s initial experiences during the pandemic were turbulent. The restrictive mandate back in 2020 brought occasional conflict between employees and customers who were unaccustomed to the restrictions. Masks were also initially hard for his restaurant staff to get used to, particularly waiters who became out of breath as they ran around collecting orders. 

His employees have adapted to the point where masks are not hindering them anymore, and with the lifted mask mandate and continual support of local customers, the restaurant has seen its business revive, Hong said.

The plumed Horse Chocolaterie in Saratoga village, owned by Angelica Duarte, has seen a similar sliver of hope, even though operations have not reverted completely back to pre-pandemic levels.

Currently, with less tight restrictions, people who walk in can see rows of colorful, hand-crafted chocolates on display. In the beginning of the pandemic, Duarte was not even able to set chocolates out on display and had to prepackage everything, making it especially difficult to attract customers. 

Although she still has staffing shortages, business has gotten better in general.

“It’s hard to find handcrafted chocolates like the ones we sell,” Duarte said, “People have been coming from all over. I feel pretty blessed.”