Stories of Resiliency: Uplifting Local Businesses From Inglewood
The LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund has provided a much-needed wave of financial relief and recovery tools for small businesses, non-profits providing essential services, immigrant-owned enterprises and the most vulnerable Angelenos impacted by the pandemic. Serving as the Fund Administrator, LISC LA has awarded grants to over 7,000 businesses. Each week, we’ll be sharing the stories of our resilient grant recipients.
Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live and work. On top of the public health crisis, the lockdowns and operating restrictions in effect across the city and county have made running a business a daily struggle. Some were able to transition their services online and develop protocols to meet new safety standards, but with less revenue coming in and bills piling up, Angelenos needed economic relief. A number of financial relief programs were created to address the needs of local businesses, but unfortunately, the many cultural, technical and financial barriers in receiving this aid have caused many businesses to fall through the cracks.
To support the small businesses that form the backbone of the diverse Los Angeles community, the City and County created the nearly $100 million LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund to provide $5,000 to $75,000 grants to small businesses, microentrepreneurs and non-profits. With over 40 years of experience connecting communities to resources and opportunities, LISC LA ensured grants were distributed equitably and reached the most vulnerable Angelenos.
Several businesses in Inglewood became recipients of the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant: The Flying Locksmith, Sweet Red Peach and Dr. Smile Dental.
For nearly five years now, Charles Freedman has been in the business of locksmithing. His company, The Flying Locksmiths, focuses on access control, repairs and building security. Yet when COVID-19 struck, many former clients such as offices, retail stores, restaurants and banks closed their doors — leading to less of the usual wear and tear that Freedman’s business operates on. Some of his largest clients declared bankruptcy or could no longer pay for his operation’s services, causing Freedman to lose about $70,000 in revenue from customers during the pandemic alone. After hearing about the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund from an email, Freedman applied and attended an introductory webinar. He found the application process clear and simple, and was soon awarded the grant, which has gone towards payroll and recovering lost revenue. Some of it has gone towards rent and utilities to keep his business in operation with the growing demands of COVID-19 safe hardware, a new area of service The Flying Locksmiths now provide.
“All I can say is that it really was a godsend,” Freedman said. “It’s going to help keep the business open.”
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Sweet Red Peach is a family owned bakery specializing in homemade desserts. Owner Karolyn Plummer prides herself on making everything from cupcakes and cobblers to extravagant custom cakes in house and from scratch. While the walk-in storefront was exempt from the shutdown’s restaurant restrictions, the cancellations of weddings and other events led to a steep drop in business as Plummer fully refunded all of the canceled orders. Thanks to encouragement from a fellow small business owner, Plummer found the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund and applied for a grant. In the fifth round of funding, Sweet Red Peach found relief. With the funds going to help cover payroll, the Sweet Red Peach is thankful to the Fund and are excited to keep serving up sweets in the New Year.
“My conscience wasn’t there to keep the [customers’] money even though they did sign nonrefundable contracts. You can’t morally keep people’s money during a pandemic,” Plummer expressed. “So when I got [an LA Regional COVID Fund grant], it was a blessing. It gave me a boost so we could keep going.”
As a dentist, working closely with patients’ mouths also means being at a high risk of contracting illnesses from patients, specifically aerosol related ones like COVID-19. To prevent infection of his staff and patients, Javid Dental owner Dr. Hossein Javid took precaution in reopening his practice by purchasing masks, head coverings, and jackets. But even once they reopened with all their safety measures in place, the office still experienced a massive slowdown. The combination of closures, PPE purchases, and business decline put the business in the red for multiple months, leading Dr. Javid to drain his savings and take out loans to keep his practice afloat. Just one month later, Javid Dental was selected as recipients of an LA COVID Fund grant. The money from the grant has gone to help pay off the rent and bank loans in addition to covering the office’s large payroll.
“Honestly it was a godsend because a month before I got the grant, I had to write a big check to cover the losses so this really helped me,” said Javid. “I just feel very fortunate and lucky to be a finalist.”
While the Fund’s final round of its grant program is now closed, LISC LA continues to build resilient and inclusive communities for people, places and businesses through a number of programs they offer throughout the year. To learn more about LISC LA and the programs they offer, visit https://www.lisc.org/los-angeles/.
