Five days after the Star Ballroom Dance Studio mass shooting, businesses along Monterey Park’s Garvey Avenue have steadfastly remained open amid shattered nerves and foot traffic that is unusually light.

A space that should be vibrant, still basking in the shine of Lunar New Year celebrations is instead wrapped in somber apprehension as well as an impulse among some customers to stay away.

Claire Lui manages the Boiling Pot restaurant, across from Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where just days earlier, on Saturday night, a gunman walked in and opened fire, killing 11 and injuring nine others who had come to simply enjoy the vibrancy of this business community.

Lui was back at work Thursday, but still reflecting on the massacre only days before.

The Saturday of the shooting, she had not entirely known what happened. As the news spread, she realized that if she had not scheduled her dishwasher for a shift, then he would’ve been at the dance studio as well.

“They really are scared,” she added, referring to a community that remained home for the usual lunch rush.

Despite this, the team on Thursday pressed on to open its doors. Even though business was light, she hoped for that to change sooner over later.

Businesses are feeling a hit, but as the caution tape came down and the helicopters disappeared, hopes are high for a return to normalcy.

Late Friday, following a Buddhist ceremony of grief at the vigil site outside the dance studio, Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo stopped to eat at YinTang Spicy Hot, on the other side of Garfield. Over the sound of music and chatter, he described a city ready to move forward with life.

“We check in with each other and we check in with ourselves and, I think, as long as we seem OK, and we’re not alone, then yes, we still stand and we will move forward,” Lo said.

This, he added, is the “spirit of resiliency” that many have spoken of lately in the aftermath of the shooting.

The “open” signs dotting the streets are not surprising for Thomas Wong, councilmember for  the city’s District 1. He knows that his community is not conditioned to pause, no matter how tragic an event may be.

“It’s not comfortable to talk about the fact that its impacting them — if it is,” he said. “A lot of it is just internalizing, and holding it in,” he said. “It’s a generational and a cultural thing to just get on with life. To honor the dead and mourn but, quickly, you’ve got your own life (that) you’ve got to live and gotta keep going.”

And that goes for the city’s business community.

“They’re not gonna shut down and they still have to make rent and pay their bills, and they want to keep their employees going, too,” Wong said. “They don’t want to hurt them either.”

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For many businesses, it was tough enough surviving the pandemic, which cut off substantial revenue for many, and forcing closures for some as customers stayed away from traditional gathering places.

Hailed as the suburban Chinatown, the city is a rare phenomenon known as an ethnoburb. These spaces — both residential and business  — shuck off the pressure of assimilation to instead center cultural protection and growth. In essence, ethnic groups, even if they are a minority of the population — retain their ethnic identity. According to a study published by Wei Li, Department of Geography at University of Connecticut,  “the ethnoburban population reflects global geopolitical changes and shifts in US immigration policy.”

Joe Torres, economic development manager for Monterey Park since 2020, remembers the hit that the city took during the pandemic, as much of the area relies on hospitality, food and international tourism.

Still, he said the ratio of business closures was offset by a higher ratio of business that remained open. He attributed this to a steadfast network of families and supporters coming together to support one another.

“Almost more than half of our sales tax revenue is generated by non-residents,” he said. “So what that means is that not only do we get support for our local businesses from our local customer base, our local residents, but also residents from other cities from our neighboring cities are coming to Monterey Park, not only to shop but also to dine.”

Torres and his office have begun sending out a surveys to business owners to gauge what kind of resources may be needed based on their concerns.

He is confident that Monterey Park’s tenacity will outweigh the adversity once again.

“Obviously there’s still fear and concern and grief that’s really embraced the entire city,” he said. “But other than that, what are the other concerns, so that we can all come together. Our government partners, our nonprofit partners and economic development agencies out there that have stepped up would like to help. We can all come together, once we identify those concerns, and come up with solutions and how to address them.”

Torres added that the survey data is being collected for the next week and the results should be available next week.

In Monterey Park, the Lunar New Year celebration was a moment of vibrancy for the business community, bringing thousands to the city.

And then came Saturday night.

Many have stopped to visit the memorial site to leave flowers, notes and burn incense in honor of the victims.

“It’s a safe city and people feel comfortable having the cultural businesses and events here,” said Emily P., a first-generation Chinese immigrant who along with son Dillon P., 24, visited the area of the shooting site Sunday. And it’s getting more diverse, and that’s why I still live here.”

They declined to provide their last names.

Dillon said the New Year festival is ingrained in the culture of the city, which he said is tight-knit and has a small-town feel.

“I remember coming (to the festival) as a kid and having a blast,” he said.

Emily said the shooting is “kind of a stain” on the city that doesn’t accurately reflect her experience of living there. She also expressed concern for the victims and their families.

“I’d like the city to be known for how beautiful and vibrant it is,” Dillon said. “A culturally vibrant city and welcoming, too.”

Ann, an employee at Tea Ren Tea Time who didn’t give her last name, said in Cantonese that business was slow Monday, but it has been slowing picking up. While business was still down a bit Friday, she indicated she was not terribly concerned, noting that things may pick up in the next week or two.

“We’ll see,” she said.

Meanwhile, a shopper at Hong Kong Supermarket said things felt normal on Friday.

Adam Li, who’s lived in Monterey Park for five years, said he saw lots of people out and about.

“Maybe 11 o’clock, there were lots of people out, ” he said, as he loaded groceries into his car.

People, he said, realize that Saturday’s shooting is not an everyday occurrence in Monterey Park.

“People have moved on,” he said.

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KC Chan works at Vapor Times next to Boiling Pot on Garvey Avenue.

She can’t say when more foot traffic will come back to the sidewalk again, but she also noted the weight of the tragedy isn’t stopping them from carrying forward.

“It just (doesn’t) feel good in here,” Chan said pointing to her chest. “But life is still life.”

“We are still here though,” she added with a resound nod.

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Reporter Linh Tat contributed to this story.