Downtown Pharr business owners express concerns over Avocado Festival

PHARR, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Business owners in the downtown Pharr area say a popular city festival is doing more harm than good for their businesses.

The Avocado Festival is a yearly community event held in the city's downtown area.

Junction Cafe owner Chris Fong, who has been in business for 35 years, says this event began as a way to revive the city. However, she says, a few years ago, things started to take a turn as the festival kept expanding its road closures.

Fong says that although the event is only held for a single day, the road closures typically last about four days, preventing customers from entering any local businesses in the area, causing them to close.

Brittany Ramirez, Fong's granddaughter, said their employees suffer the consequences, going days without pay.

"What about your small businesses? What about our cooks, our dishwashers, our waitresses? They live, and it’s just the truth, paycheck to paycheck. They depend on their days," Ramirez said.

Pharr City Manager, Jonathan Flores, says the city has maintained communication with local businesses in the area, passing out flyers and holding meetings.

"We’ve communicated, we’ve discussed these closures well in advance. We plan a year in advance. We’re always willing to receive feedback, but you know this is good for the community, and I think that we should all enjoy and celebrate the heritage of the city of Pharr," Flores said.

But business owners say they are unaware of anything until the city begins setting up and asking them to move their vehicles.

Fong says all they ask is for the city to consider their businesses.

ValleyCentral reached back out to the city after we heard the business owner's concerns about communication.

City Manager Jonathan Flores told ValleyCentral back in early September, city staff went downtown to pass out flyers about the Avocado Festival and talk to business managers.