LANSING, Mich. — Will unemployment levels continue to drop as states get back to business? We're seeing rehiring in South Carolina, one of the first states to reopen. Maya Rodriguez returned there to see what small business owners say is the solution to rebounding from coronavirus.
Nearly two months after a coronavirus lockdown the changes are both subtle and obvious at the bookstore “Main Street Reads.”
Shari Stauch the bookstore owner shared that “we have our plastic shield up now. we have hand sanitizer all over the store. we ask people - we are actually requiring people - to wear a mask inside.”
We first met owner Shari Stauch in April, just after her bookstore reopened to customers following the lockdown. At the time she was alone at the store, her handful of employees – furloughed, but now they’re back.
Hannah Rose Summers one of the bookstore employees explained “I help manage a store and make sure it stays clean and tidy.”
Emma June Wood, another bookstore employee also shared “I've learned to identify people by their masks.”
So what made all the rehiring possible? The bookstore relied on the paycheck protection program that federal loan program that helped pay for employee salaries. It’s a loan that can be forgiven – as long as those employees are kept on the payroll.
Stauch was clear “I would be here by myself if it weren't for that.” “It's just going straight to them. we just want to make sure that that they're here and that they're here for the customer.”
For Emma June Wood, it’s made a huge difference financially, “I help support my family at home. so, being out of work, even for the short period that I was, caused a lot of anxiety.” but coming back to work goes beyond income for Hannah Rose Summers.
Summers explained that “actually, the first day I came back, I almost started crying because I was so happy just to be back here. It's psychologically, it's just immensely important to me.”
Shari Stauch says she’s grateful the federal small business loan is helping her hold onto her employees, but she adds with business at the bookstore down 50% there’s always room for more help. “We're not looking to make a score out of this situation. There's a lot of different groups that need help, too, and like we keep saying, ‘We're all in this together’ so wherever it's most needed. but do they continue to need to funnel that into the communities? I think so.”
Congress could potentially take up another stimulus bill later this summer and small businesses may once again be part of it. In the meantime Stauch says “we have a saying here: ‘today's readers are tomorrow's leaders.’”
Leaders that the bookstore may need to turn to in the future.
Want to see more local news ? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Appleand Android
and
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
