Ventura Blvd. feels the recession

For mom-and-pop storekeepers along Ventura Boulevard, the gulf between success and failure can be the 10 feet from shop to curb. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

That's 10 feet of sidewalk from the cafe to a hungry diner. Ten feet from the hairstylist to an unkempt mop. Ten feet from the tailor to a baggy suit.

But during a year-long recession when clients have put off spending, the stretch of concrete leading up to any business can seem as vast as a barren desert.