Many small businesses in Fort Smith need help
Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Tim Allen, is encouraging small businesses in the River Valley to apply for free, federal assistance under the Paycheck Protection Program.
"Although you may not feel you have a need today," Allen said, "if the business community begins to suffer from this you'll need that assistance, so please apply for it."
Emergency Physician Dr. Lee Johnson said 11 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the River Valley, "of those 11, the majority have not required hospitalization. We do currently have 2 people in the hospitals here in Fort Smith but neither of those patients are in the ICU and neither of those patients are requiring any kind of ventilator support."
Dr. Johnson said River Valley hospitals are currently not overwhelmed and have plenty of supplies and ventilators on hand if needed. Dr. Johnson said hospitals are preparing for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases.
In Fort Smith and across the country, it may be small businesses that need some life support, "It hit us out of nowhere," 21 West End Owner Kevin Dorey said. "It was the start of our season for catering and within one day we lost a significant amount of business and it's just compounded since."
21 West End has been a fine dining establishment in downtown Fort Smith since 2007. Like many restaurants across the state, since March 10th, 21 West End has only been offering meals through delivery and curbside service.
"We're fortunate. Today we sold out of our crab cakes and we're very blessed and very thankful for the support we have received," Dorey said. "But unfortunately we're doing a 10th of what we were doing prior to the COVID-19 virus."
Friday was the last day the restaurant was open for business. Dorey told 40/29 the restaurant will undergo a deep cleaning and update while the remaining workers get time to social distance and with their families.
Since the Coronavirus outbreak, most of the restaurant's 24 employees had been reduced to less than a handful of workers.
"In my years of employment and working and just being on this earth, I've never seen anything like this," said Gordon Albritton.
Albritton is retired, to help supplement his income he worked as a host at 21 West End.
"It's hard staying home, staying away from everybody." Albritton said. "We're all hurting right now, even with this being my supplemental income, it just makes everything wait that much longer now."
"I'll be fine," Chef Paul Capel said. "I'm worried about some of the other employees that live more on the day to day basis. The server tips are really what drives this economy that we're in."
Dorey told 40/29 he's already applied for federal assistance through the PPP program, but like many small businesses, he's waiting for banks to receive guidance from the government about how to distribute the stimulus loans.
"It can't happen soon enough," Dorey said. "To be able to keep money changing hands, to be able to pay our rent to our landlords, to pay our utilities and so that our employees can buy food, you know, this is huge and I think it's a great deal. It will save my business."
21 West End plans to reopen May 21st.
Tim Allen said in a press conference on Friday that manufacturing companies are still doing well in the River Valley. A list of some current job openings for places who are hiring can be found on the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce website.