Lerum Auto in Boulder is open for business — but you wouldn’t know it. The repair shop is exempt from Gov. Steve Bullock’s March 26 closure order, but “it’s really, really dead,” said owner Dana Lerum. “There’s one possible job coming, I’m not sure. I’ve been in business since 1976, and I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
This is the eerie reality of Jefferson County’s economy since the coronavirus pandemic stilled much of the world’s human activity. Dozens of businesses have been temporarily shuttered, and many of those that remain open are seeing a fraction of their usual activity.
Small business owners like Lerum face unprecedented uncertainty. When will the number of COVID-19 cases decline? When could the shutdown directive be lifted? And can they hold out that long? “Eventually, I’m going to run out of savings,” Lerum said. “I probably don’t have much more than a month.”
