PERRY, Ga. — 19 Perry businesses are getting a little extra boost after feeling the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penny Stapleton has owned Daisy Patch Flowers for the last seven years. She says the last few months have been tough.
"We missed out on prom, Mother’s Day was really light -- very light -- and this is our slow time of the year and we really don’t pick back up until school goes back."
Michelle Rhoades owns Mossy Creek Natural and says their sales are down 30 percent for the year because of COVID-19.
They closed for about a month.
"We stayed in the studio making product because we knew that we were eventually going to open back up again," says Rhoades, but now, they are getting a little extra help from their city.
The Perry Main Street Program Small Business Resiliency Grant awarded $4,700 to Rhoades, Stapleton and seventeen other businesses.
"It really helps, you know, on a number of levels," says Rhoades. "It helps me pay employees, it helps me buy supplies so we can make more products."
She says $250 per business might not seem like a lot, but every dollar helps.
"It's $250 we didn't have before, so it's always good. That for us, just to give you an idea, is enough supplies to make soap for at least two months."
Stapleton says with grants like this one and the community's support, she knows she'll bounce back.
"I'm very very grateful for the city, for what they do," says Stapleton. "This community has always been so amazing to me, so I really don't have fear."
The City of Perry's Main Street Coordinator Haley Bryant says they want to continue to help the city in any way they can.
"As we move forward, together, the Perry Main Street program will continue to provide resources and opportunities that encourage economic stability and sustainability to our local businesses," says Bryant.
The full list of the grant recipients are:
Bridals by Gilbert
Reflections Salon
Shear Keba's Hair Salon
Steven Harrell Attorney at Law
Mossy Creek Natural
Sugarplum Tree
Yes! It's Consignment
Schultz Restaurant Group
Hello Beautiful Salon
Central Computer Services
Split Endz Salon
Massey Gordon
New Perry Cleaners
Simply Southern Sweets
Davida's
The Rehab Center
Daisy Patch Flowers
Summit Physical Therapy
Dainer Hair Salon