DC small businesses open through pandemic

Por Olga Imbaquingo – ESPECIAL PARA EL TIEMPO LATINO

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been significant for small businesses throughout the country, with many of them fighting to reopen and others that have completely disappeared.

According to NPR, a year after the first cases of COVID-19, approximately 375 small businesses in Washington DC have disappeared, and in December 2020 there were 36 thousand workers who were unemployed.

Responding to this situation, a company is working to help owners of small local businesses to recover and rebuild.

In July 2020, Wells Fargo created the Open for Business Fund (OFBF), a small business recovery initiative of approximately $ 420 million that covers financial support to non -profit organizations, community financial development institutions and other groups that are workingTo help the small businesses reopen.Until now, the effort has allowed us to keep up with a national level about 35 thousand small businesses and 90 thousand jobs.Many of the program's resources have been allocated to small businesses owned by Latin women and other owners belonging to minorities.

The OPEN For Business Fund is working with the Local Latin Economic Development Center (LEDC) local organization, and other non -profit organizations to grant financing for technical assistance, emergency loans and training for small businesses.The goal: keep business doors open.

“The Open for Business Fund de Wells Fargo is making it easier for us to help small businesses.The goal from the beginning was to keep them open and we got it.We help them in the applications for funds, in some cases we allocate money to forgive debts and increase the assistance capital, ”said Alexandra Samaniego, project director and small businesses of the LEDC for DC, Virginia and Baltimore.

Here are three examples of small local businesses that have received help:

Ircia’s Kitchen is still standing

Ircia Palacios used all her savings to open her new restaurant, Ircia’s Kitchen.It was open only for three months before the pandemic arrived.

Palacios tried to keep the business open by selling food to carry and offer home delivery service, using five deliveries, but I was having problems paying rent and electricity payroll.

"I'm holding myself, but I couldn't retain my employees," he said."I only have a kitchen assistant, my children and my husband are working with me".

With the help of the LEDC she applied to obtain federal financing help, as well as the help of the Open for Business Fund.She received a subsidy of $ 5,500 and then another $ 1,200 subsidy.

The money helped Palacios catch up with the forms and maintain their open business.She gets up every day at 4:00 a.m..m.And frequently keep cooking until 8 p.m..

She delivers up to 30 lunches a day to construction sites.

"Those workers are my people, and they are saving me," he said.

Maracas returns with his ice cream

Julia Padierna, an international lawyer who graduated from Georgetown University, is the owner of Maracas Ice Pops, a small business founded in 2014.

Padierna uses 10 tricycles to sell her ice cream, which are inspired by her native Puebla and made with fresh fruits.

After her working day as a lawyer ends, Padierna prepares the pallets in an industrial kitchen that rent.She selects fruits, is responsible for marketing and manages logistics.

During the first months of the Covid-19 Pandemia, your business stopped.

Fortunately she received a subsidy of $ 12 thousand of the LEDC with support from the Open for Business Fund, which helped pay the forms, buy essential supplies and keep your employees on the payroll.

Maracas now has an ice cream cart at the Wisconson and N in alliance with Bassetts Ice Cream.Padierna is also trying to launch a new business.

A money that did not turn off the light

Sandra Foot, a Bolivian immigrant, opened flip it lj itch in the district five years ago.Her husband, she wants her partner at the restaurant, died untimely before the restaurant opens its doors.

"I wanted to have a business that serves as a livelihood for my son Joshua," says Foot.

Your money specializes in breakfast with fresh and organic products.The letter includes sandwes and for a Sunday or holiday special dishes of Bolivian gastronomy.

In pandemic times his concern was to leave his three employees in the air.

He closed for a short time, then joined the sales on request, got a loan and began to row against current, betting on Dordash for the delivery of food at home.

One morning until his business came Carolina Buitrago, employee of the local non -profit organization District Bridges, and told him about subsidies dedicated to small businesses that were available through the non -profit partner LISC, a financial institution of community development,With support from the Open for Business Fund de Wells Fargo.Carolina helped foot.

"She was an angel at the right time, that's how I managed to support," said Foot."Many were not so lucky and it saddens me because I know how difficult it is to follow a dream to have something".

Learn more about the Open for Business Fund de Wells Fargo visiting: Welcom.WF.com/together