Association is offering complimentary twelve-month memberships to businesses in the hospitality industry affected by the closure .
The governor also put together an outside legal team to investigate the bridge failure and see if any funds can be recovered .
“ We want to make it very clear — any responsible parties will be held fully accountable , and we will use every tool at our disposal to achieve that goal ,” McKee said in a statement .
Previously , the only financial relief available to small business owners were low-interest Economic Injury Disaster loans available from the U . S . Small Business Administration . But many were hesitant to apply because they still have debt remaining from the pandemic , Singleton says .
“ The SBA loans are available , but that ’ s another loan and it ’ s more debt ,” she says . “ And I ’ m hearing from a lot of people saying they already have an SBA loan from the pandemic that they ’ re starting to pay off . And they ’ re nervous about taking on more debt without knowing what their sales are going to be .”
Natalie VanLandingham , who owns Myrtle in East Providence with her husband , Tommy Allen , found the application process unsettling .
“ I found it to be a little grueling and intimidating ,” says VanLandingham . “ The only reason we had everything ready to go is because we just took out a loan .”
Her loan officer was dismissive , saying that the event wasn ’ t yet a designated disaster , the bridge was back open , and that people didn ’ t need to come to the space until later since it ’ s a bar , she says . “ That ’ s pretty discouraging to hear .” Amelia Olson , the owner of Tall Tumbleweed , a clothing boutique in Riverside Square , refuses to take on any business-related debt , saying it ’ s not the solution to the complicated morass .
“ I ’ ve never taken a loan from the city , the SBA or any other institution to start my business or to open the brick and mortar ,” she says . “ Loans and debt will not solve our hardships due to the bridge , either in the short term or long term .”
After spending $ 1,000 to prepare and file the paperwork , Riviera Restaurant ’ s Matkasyan was denied an SBA loan .
“ They said , ‘ You have enough funds to deal with it ,’” he says .
As of late April , 1,228 small business owners in Rhode Island had applied for Economic Injury Disaster loans , according to Michael L . Lampton , acting deputy director of the Small Business Administration ’ s field operations center in Atlanta .
SBA representatives , he says , are “ in tune ” to the type of circumstances applicants are going through , and he finds it difficult to believe they
HOW TO HELP Local Businesses
“ Our businesses need your support now more than ever . If you have a favorite restaurant here in the city and you want to brave the bridge to come over for lunch , there ’ s no traffic during lunchtime . You come in and you go out , you take care of business .” — East Providence Mayor Roberto DaSilva
“ If you ’ re going out for lunch , order an extra meal and bring it home for dinner . Or if you ’ re going out for dinner , order a couple of extra meals and eat them at home the rest of the week .” — Heather Singleton , interim president and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association
b East Providence will hold its first-ever EP Restaurant Week on June 16 – 22 with exclusive menus and special offerings . For a list of participating restaurants , visit eastprovidencefood . com .
b Providence Restaurant Weeks returns July 7 – 20 with a full roster of special deals and prix-fixe menus at city eateries . Visit goprovidence . com / rw for more information and a list of restaurants .
dismissed local applicants ’ concerns .
“ Not to say it didn ’ t occur , but I can ’ t imagine our loan officers telling applicants , ‘ You have enough funds ,’ or ‘ the bridge was back open ,’” Lampton says . “ It ’ s hard to believe that one of our people in those circumstances would respond like that .”
THE ROUTE FORWARD
SINCE THE BRIDGE ’ S CLOSING , several restaurants and food trucks have closed or are moving to new locations .
El Ninja , a Japanese-Latin American fusion spot , shuttered its Providence eatery on Broad Street . And citing a tough winter , rising food costs and the bridge closure , Hunky Dory in Warren announced in February the closing of its 800-square-foot restaurant .
Feed the Cheeks , a shop known for its overstuffed gourmet cookies , told Instagram followers it would close its flagship Wayland Square location sometime this year and move to Garden City Center in Cranston . ( It also has a store on Angell Street in Providence .)
Husband-and-wife owners Mahran Izoli and Nur Shahida Roslan have since reconsidered , saying they ’ ll decide the future of the Wayland Square store after seeing how the summer unfolds and whether they ’ ll be approved for an SBA loan . Sales at that location have been down by 50 to 60 percent since December , Izoli says , and making deliveries between the two East Side locations has been a nightmare .
“ It ’ s typically a three-minute drive , but when it ’ s rush hour , it takes us almost twenty minutes to get to the store . It ’ s just bumper-to-bumper traffic and it ’ s only less than a mile away ,” he says . They hope to open the Garden City Center location in late summer / early fall . Baptista , the owner of Atmosphere CBD Cafe , is taking his business on the road this summer . He ’ ll be slinging sandwiches and coffee drinks from his newly wrapped trailer , set up next to a tent in a cafe-like setting . In the meantime , he ’ ll keep looking for a storefront location , preferably in East Providence . “ But I ’ m not going to force it ,” he says . He ’ s eager to be a part of the city ’ s renaissance , but still remembers the East Providence of his youth , with empty storefronts and shuttered businesses , and wonders if the bridge crisis will deter future developers and shop owners from putting down roots .
“ Businesses aren ’ t going to want to come here . People aren ’ t going to want to come here because of the bridge ,” he says . “ What we had before was a lot of boarded-up buildings . A lot of empty spaces . And I ’ m not confident that it ’ s not going to look like that again in another year or two .” 🆁
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