Small Business COVID Rescue Relief

I am a woman entrepreneur and I have been your "not so typical" small retailer for 23 years.  I have rode many waves and weathered many "storms" but none like COVID19 and this Pandemic of 2020. 


I owned my first boutique Angelika in The Florida Keys when 9/11 happened.  I thought that was hard.  


I opened my second boutique, Zero Dress Code, in the midst of a devastating divorce as a single mom of a 5 year old daughter when I thought my world was crashing in...I thought that was hard.

 My little boutique was chugging along in 2017 when Hurricane Irma hit The Florida Keys.  We lost tourism for 2 years.  I thought that was hard.  

I was fortunate to have been given a chance by one generous, kind believer in me to open a second store (The Dress Code, because they literally have a dress code)  in a very private and typically "difficult to get in" community in Key Largo where I had to prove my worth and yet help compensate for my losses at the Islamorada location.  I thought that was hard.

I tried opening a third store in Miami.  My daughter was awarded a prestigious Merit Scholarship to a high school in Miami so I was commuting anyway.  I thought it would be easy.... it was hard.

I had to swallow my pride and realize the Miami store was not going to work.  I closed it 2 months later.  I thought that was hard.

Online shopping has been overtaking the retail world... Competition used to make you stronger.  Now it just consumes you... That is hard.

Now we have a Pandemic of epic proportions.  Our World as we know it has changed like nothing we have ever seen.  Commerce and small businesses like mine are shutdown. Indefinitely. Unlike my other hardships, I have no idea when or how I will survive this one.

I have 2 stores filled with beautiful merchandise, but clothing is a luxury (for the most part).  In hard times, I find most women will sacrifice their needs (retail therapy) for the needs of their family.  Retail is the last thing on anyone's mind when the world is seemingly falling apart.  Understandably.  But at age 50, and still a single mom, I am at a loss on how to keep my business going with little help.  The $1700 "Stimulus" from the Government will not even pay one of my vendors bills. The deferred payments with no penalty on my credit cards do me no good when they are all still accruing interest!  And the SBA loan they are offering, I probably will not receive because: 

1. I already still owe on one from Hurricane Irma (after 2 years it is still not able to be paid off)

2. They give it to businesses based on their ability to pay it back!  How can we pay it back when we are not open for business (indefinitely)?

If you want to help, I would be forever grateful.  I would use the funds to help continue to pay my employees, who themselves are already working several jobs to make ends meet.  I would try to reopen someday and continue to be an integral part of our small communities that are the flavor of The beautiful Florida Keys.  I won't give up! I will keep going in the face of this adversity so that your favorite small boutiques will be there when you get back...