Jessie Jean’s restaurant in Ogden closes, casualty of the uncertain economy
Anna and Ron Davidson, owners of Jessie Jean's on Historic 25th Street in Ogden, are pictured Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
Cook Dylan Loosemore fills a pickup order on March 18, 2020, at Jessie Jean's on Historic 25th Street in downtown Ogden.
Tanner Petsche, an employee at Jessie Jean's on Historic 25th Street, is photographed outside the Ogden eatery on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. The business closed its doors on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.
OGDEN — As with many businesses, maybe most, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Jessie Jean’s on Historic 25th Street hard, prompting operators Anna and Ron Davidson to scramble to stay afloat.
“We just kept limping along and hoping and hoping and hoping,” Anna Davidson said.
They tried everything to contend with the economic dip brought on by the pandemic, but ultimately it became a never-ending, uphill, against-the-wind battle to stay in the black. On Tuesday, the 25th Street business shut its doors for good after 20 years of operation, underscoring the lingering toll the pandemic is having on the economy, particularly, it seems, on local businesses.
It was a heartbreaking, wrenching decision. Running Jessie Jean’s as its fortunes sputtered “just became emotionally, physically and financially a burden,” said Davidson. Davidson is an outspoken advocate for the homeless who had implemented a “pay it forward” initiative at the restaurant to get food to those in need.
Kim Bowsher, head of Ogden Downtown Alliance, lamented the turn of events. “We’re a super-small community, so it feels very personal when we lose a business. It’s definitely sad,” she said.
TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
A window outside of Jessie Jean’s on Historic 25th Street in Ogden is seen Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. The business closed its doors on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.
Whatever the case, Bowsher said many businesses are still on uncertain ground as the economy fights for more solid footing. Jessie Jean’s is hardly alone in facing struggles.
“It’s definitely still a mixed bag,” Bowsher said.
While businesses in the downtown area generally seem to be on a “recovery track,” some are faring better than others. The uncertain conditions cause business operators to continually evaluate their financial health and prospects going forward. “I think a lot of people are doing this really complicated math in their head, ‘Are we on pace to overspend our cash flow?'” Bowsher said.
Indeed, the closure of Jessie Jean’s has Bowsher redoubling calls for Weber County residents to support their homegrown businesses to prevent a repeat. “Put the money where you care and make sure you’re dining local and shopping local,” she said.
Jessie Jean’s, she noted, isn’t the first local business to shut its doors during the pandemic. Kaffe Mercantile closed its location in the 2200 block of Washington Boulevard last May due to the economic effects of the pandemic, though its other two locations remain open. Making Scents at 290 25th St., which sold lotions and body care products, closed last October. Press Together, a juice bar next door to Jessie Jean’s on 25th Street, has signs in its windows saying it’s closed due to the pandemic and will reopen “when appropriate.”
In fact, though local officials have reported that sales tax revenues for 2020 were relatively strong despite the down economy, Bowsher suspects that was more a function of spending at places like national chains. The spending didn’t seem to trickle down to local businesses, like the operations on 25th Street.
’JUST REALLY SAD'Despite the shaky economy, Tanner Petsche, a Jessie Jean’s employee, said there were good days at the restaurant after the pandemic struck. Federal CARES Act grant funding meant to aid businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic downturn helped the restaurant stay afloat for a time, according to Davidson. Some $11.3 million in CARES Act funding funneled last year through the city of Ogden helped 255 businesses and nonprofit organizations adversely impacted by the pandemic, according to figures from the city.
TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
Tanner Petsche, a worker at Jessie Jean’s on Historic 25th Street, discusses the closure of the Ogden eatery on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.
But over the long haul, Davidson — who also serves as homeless service advocate for the Ogden Police Department — didn’t see light at the end of the tunnel. Some experts aren’t expecting a full economic recovery until 2023, she noted, and things like that factored in the decision to close.
Jessie Jean’s opened in Roy on Nov. 1, 2000, moving to the 25th Street location in June 2018. Over the years, Davidson put a focus on philanthropy, collecting donations to make meals for furloughed federal workers during the federal government shutdown of late 2018 and early 2019. She implemented a “pay-it-forward” program, using donations from diners to provide food for the homeless and others in need.
“They just helped out a lot of people,” said Petsche. “We stood for social change.”
Davidson will continue in her role with the police department, working with police to point those living in the streets to the resources meant to help them. With the closure of Jessie Jean’s, she may put more focus on creating a nonprofit group to help the homeless and others in need, called the RAD Hero Foundation. More immediately, though, she says she’s just dealing with the grief of having to shut Jessie Jean’s doors.
“Yesterday was a pretty emotional day,” said Petsche. “It’s just really sad.”
