Elizabeth Fisher, owner of Lizzie Bee’s Flower Shoppe, received federal assistance with the help of the Dallas Metropolitan SBDC.
Contact: Debra Dennis
For immediate release — April 23, 2020
(DALLAS) — When Trevino’s Gymnastics School was shut down due to COVID-19, its owners thought the closing would be temporary and that their 21 employees would return to usher young athletes through tumbles, handstands and floor routines.
They were wrong as their nearly 36-year-old Lancaster business, like countless other establishments, was sidelined.
Richard Trevino and his wife, Marilyn Trevino, were recently given a lifeline when their application for assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program was approved. Trevino knows his rescue federal aid package places his company among the lucky ones.
Last week, many small business owners were shocked to learn that COVID-19 bailout funds had been depleted, leaving countless businesses in a lurch. However, Congressional leaders say they are close to a deal that would refund the program.
“This [the funds] won’t last but a couple of months, but at least I can pay my staff,” said Richard Trevino. “We are grateful for the people who have been here with us all of these years. They have families as well. This is a blessing.”
Trevino said he cannot think long term but hopes his business returns sometime this year.
“I’m in a business where we’re in close contact with people. We want them to come back to a safe environment,” said Trevino, whose gymnastics operation hosts 600 to 700 children, teens and young adults. Trevino’s Gymnastics also hosts competitions.
“Who knows how the economy will move forward. If parents have lost their jobs, they won’t have spare income, so it could be a slow process getting back up and running,” Trevino said.
Elizabeth Fisher, owner of Lizzie Bee’s Flower Shoppe in Richardson, also received PPP assistance. The money will be used to keep her floral company open and her seven workers on the payroll. It has also forced her to look at a new way of doing business.
“We mostly do weddings and corporate events,” said Fisher. “But we’re starting to think outside the box and find out where else we can expand.”
“A lot of our brides canceled or postponed, and that affects our cashflow,” Fisher said. “We’re doing pickups and deliveries, and we expect to do a lot of business for Mother’s Day.”
The Dallas Metropolitan Small Business Development Center at the Bill J. Priest Institute has been instrumental in assisting both businesses.
According to the SBA, 134,737 Texas businesses received assistance from PPP — more than any other state except California.
# # #