The mayor of Pelham called on the community Thursday evening to rally behind their mom and pop shops to keep them in business amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent weeks, the usually bustling downtown Pelham has turned into a ghost town with many businesses closed down - and customers staying away.

Village Mayor Chance Mullen is calling on all residents to support their local businesses because he says that’s the only way they can survive.

"This is bad. This is not going to end quickly," he says. "Shop local. Pelhamlist.com has every local business that is still operating listed on that website. We need to help people stay ahead of that curb, stay afloat," he says.

News 12 counted at least a half-dozen businesses had closed temporarily.

The mayor says some business owners have told him that they don’t plan to reopen.