Local small business owners say they’ve been shut out from paycheck protection program

As small businesses around the country grapple with the ill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, local small business owners are navigating their way through federal funding to try to keep their businesses afloat and their employees on payroll.

The government previously rolled out the $349 billion “Paycheck Protection Program,” but those funds have already dried up.

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Now, business owners like Chris Weck, who owns Sinful Sweets in Downtown Pittsburgh, are left in the dark – not knowing if they’ll get the funding or not.

“There’s no communication, nothing. Just a confirmation email like, ‘We got your stuff,’ but it’s confusing. Yeah, it’s pretty crazy,” Weck said.

Weck is one of the 1.6 million business owners who applied for the Paycheck Protection Program.

So did Anna Austin, who owns Casa Dolce Spa in Sewickley.

Austin laid off her eight employees almost immediately after the shutdown. They’ve all been able to retain unemployment benefits, and she ended up getting approved for the federal grant EIDL (economic injury disaster loan).

“Since I got that EIDL grant money, I told the bank yesterday to just cancel my application because I feel so bad it ran out of money, and there’s businesses that were shut out,” said Austin.

Now these business owners who are banking on these stimulus efforts are just hoping there’s enough out there to get them through.

“It’s stressful. I don’t want to let anybody down. I don’t want to let the people who work for me down. I want to make sure they’re taken care of and they’re happy,” said Weck.

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