WHITTIER, Calif. — As the stay at home order is extended, some business owners are slowly losing hope that they’ll have a business to return to when the pandemic is over.
The city of Whittier has stepped up to help those in the service and food industries with a new fund that will put money straight into the hands of business owners in need, without the red tape.
Some of the businesses that have been hit the hardest this year are in the service industry. The Loft Hair Salon has had to close, reopen, and move outside, just to close again.
This marks week four of yet another closure, for owner, Corinne Trujillo Alvarado. She says it’s been a tumultuous year and at this point, her business is barely hanging on.
"It’s not easy. Basically I feel like I am just trying to keep the doors open, keep the lights on, pay the rent," Trujillo Alvarado said.
Like many others, she's adapting in any way she can. When the governor allowed salons to operate outdoors, Trujillo Alvarado and her husband had an entire set up that she was actually starting to enjoy. But then they were ordered to shut down again.
"I’m paying for a space that we’re not using, which is difficult, but I would love for us to have a place to come back to when this is over with," she said.
It’s a heartbreaking reality for an owner who’s been in this space for nearly 30 years and one that many other business owners are facing now after months without income.
Mayor Joe Vinatieri says he hears the cities cries. He’s spending his lunch at the Orchard Post Acute Care, a nursing home that has really struggled through the pandemic. To show his appreciation for the caregivers, he and another city council member arranged with a friend who donated lunch.
"We want to help our people," said Mayor Vinatieri. "And if that means recognizing the team here who take care of our residents who are in rehab. If it means recognizing our small businesses, hair stylists who are out of business now, or restaurants who can’t serve outdoors.”
He wanted to do more for those businesses, so he and the city teamed up with the Whittier Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business & Economic Recovery Taskforce to put $500,000 in a Business Relief Fund that will go straight to Whittier’s small business owners who can apply on a first come, first serve basis.
"The idea was, who knows what’s gonna happen at the federal level, but if we have some money here, not a lot, but if we have some money to help our small businesses then we’re gonna give it to them because this is an emergency," he said.
Within three hours of opening the application window, 150 people had already applied.
The mayor says each of the eligible business owners will be notified after January 4 if they have been chosen to receive the grant, which ranges from $500 to $2,500.
Trujillo Alvarado was one of the eligible owners who jumped on the opportunity. She says she wasn’t surprised to hear that so many people had already applied.
"It’s really nice to have that support. Independent contractors often get overlooked," she said.
So she and at least 150 of her small business neighbors are waiting with their fingers crossed, hoping to hear from the mayor next week.
Click here for more information or to apply for the Whittier Relief Fund.