The demonstrations in Hong Kong have affected local tourism, dining and retail businesses. And local business owners are calling for unity and an end to the sometimes violent disruptions.  

Causeway Bay is a famous commercial district in Hong Kong, and it's seeing sluggish business. Some shops even have closed their doors, hoping to transfer their leases to others. Because the area is near the sites of protests, residents and tourists have shunned the area, which has badly affected their businesses.  

"Patrons became very few after June 15, and the sales volume dropped soon. It dropped by 20 percent in June and slashed by 35 percent in July," said Yang Xue, a restaurant owner. 

Yang's restaurant has been open for less than a year. She invested three million Hong Kong dollars, or 2.7 million yuan, to cover all the expenses, including rent, renovation and staff. But now she can't help but close the restaurant. All of the staff have thus become unemployed.  

The Hong Kong Catering Industry Association says that the losses of the total sector over the past two months have amounted to about two billion Hong Kong dollars.  

"We see no business on Saturdays and Sundays. The whole city is like a dead city. Residents don't want to be out on the streets. Many reservations were canceled because of the inconvenience or the traffic jams brought by the protests," said Zheng Jinfu, another restaurant owner. 

Dining is not the only industry affected. Trade and logistics have also taken a heavy blow. A company doing cross-border online business said the protests that have paralyzed the airport and congested traffic bring uncertainty to goods transportation.  
Businessman Cai Shaolin said that "goods previously transferred from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland are no more passing Hong Kong now. They are now directly transported to the Chinese mainland for the customs clearance." 

"The impacts will include increasing unemployment, fewer jobs and finally, people's lives," added Guo Dexin, director of the Hong Kong Association of Economists. 

Political and trade personnel have called the situation an economic typhoon. Analysts say that 600,000 employees in the dining, retail and hotel sectors could lose their jobs, making the restoration of social order vital.