Came to Old Sacramento to burn some time with my 6 month old in tow, in stroller. Thumbs-up to Candy Heaven; taffy was delicious, staff was friendly. Overall, I appreciated the mix of businesses in Old Sacramento. Good balance of stores, restaurants and souvenir shops. However, as a Black American, I did feel unwelcome in a few of the stores. For example, I was followed in one store, made to feel like I was going to steal something. I spent money there anyway. Also, as I walked into another store, an employee saw me and walked out. He appeared a few mins later on the boardwalk in front of the store with a red, signature "Make America Great Again" hat on his head that he wasn't wearing earlier. This was very weird and I could only make sense of this as political commentary about Black folks. Unfortunately for that store owner, up until that point I'd been talking myself into supporting the local economy by buying 2-3 clearly over-priced kites from that store. After that, I got the message I was unwelcome and took my money elsewhere. In general, I enjoyed myself. My advice?? If staff isn't friendly or at least professional, move on and spend your tourist dollars elsewhere.
