Kevin Belk, Owner of Elysium Salon in Charleston, SC
My wife and I started Elysium Salon in 2004 by maxing out our credit cards to provide working capital. Within 2 years, we had expanded to a second salon and prospered until the 2008 recession.
The recession hit us hard, forcing us to close one location and sell our home to keep our business afloat. We got almost no help from the Obama recovery spending and struggled for several years. After President Trump was elected, a booming economy and tax help for small businesses allowed us to stabilize and flourish again.
Then came COVID-19.
Initially, we did not think it would have this devastating impact. The rapid shut down of the economy caught us by surprise as did the sudden mandatory shut down order for my hair salon.
In addition to my wife and I, three others are out of work. All of us have families and small children. All of us have mortgages, car payments, etc. I still have high fixed cost for rental space and other fixed business costs such as utilities, taxes and inventory.
I was encouraged by the quick approval of Federal funds to support businesses like mine. However, the process appears to have much uncertainty and delays, and we have no time left.
As a salon owner, I cannot work from home or file for unemployment. We were ordered to stop working. I understand the public health reasons for this.
As a small business owner, I want a clearly defined path to have some income in the near term and restart my business as soon as possible. We take on a lot of risk and create jobs. I would like some clarity on how we restart this economy and not lose everything my wife and I worked so hard for over the last 20 years.
Kevin Belk
Elysium Salon, Owner