LETTER: Our businesses need your help
Our businesses need your help
The average small business only has a 27-day cash buffer to draw upon in the event of economic shock.
As the executive director of the Washington Business District Authority, I am incredibly proud to be part of a community that is made up of so many locally owned, independent businesses. I don’t even want to call them small businesses because they play such a large part in our daily lives. We wouldn’t be Washington without the business owners who have chosen to make their homes here. And while I am so impressed at the rate these business owners have adapted to meet the current state of the world, I’m concerned about the impact the COVID-19 crisis is having, and will continue to have, on our community.
I know that local, state, and national leaders are working tirelessly to address the many serious impacts of COVID-19 on our nation. To those of you reading this, please, please email or phone our leaders in Washington, D.C., to encourage them to prioritize small businesses in these and future efforts.
Grants and subsidies, not loans, must be a priority. Small businesses need a bridge to weather the storm, keep their staff employed, and be in a position to stabilize our local economy. Support to individuals is critical to the survival of small businesses and to their capacity to continue to grow our downtown’s economic impact. We’re all in this together.
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and of our communities, especially this community right here in Washington. Without them, our historic downtown that has been working so hard to make its recovery will lack the activity and commerce that creates healthy, socially cohesive, and economically viable communities.
So many of you have made a concerted effort to keep our local businesses going during this time of uncertainty. I am grateful to you for that, and I beg you to keep that momentum going. Keep ordering from our restaurants, join a virtual yoga class at Indigo Yoga Loft, buy gift cards from as many retailers as your circumstances allow, and leave positive reviews everywhere you can. Our business owners are strong, and with support from us right now, they will be here for our community for years to come.
Sarah Collier
Washington