Beaufort County small businesses got millions in COVID relief from SC. Where it went
When coronavirus hit South Carolina in March 2020, Takiya La’Shaune was required to temporarily close her Brow Company Beauty Bar and Lash Spa on Lady’s Island, and with it, the training ground for young beauticians she had spent six years nurturing.
For seven weeks, she and her employees were out of work, a frustrating chapter in the story of an ever-expanding business. Then, on May 18, Gov. Henry McMaster allowed beauty salons to reopen. La’Shaune said she opened as soon as she could with safety precautions in place.
“I get ladies in there that are looking to grow and learn and hone in on their skills,” she said, “so it was very important to me to be able to provide that for them.”
Her largest concern since then has been keeping her staff of six employed. In December, however, she received $25,000 from the state through its COVID-19 assistance grant program, a Department of Administration initiative to provide relief to minority-owned businesses, small businesses and businesses that had not received previous COVID-19 aid.
The funds, in combination with a federal Payment Protection Program loan she received in April, have allowed her to retain her staff and open a new location in Bluffton.
“Life itself is hard enough. We deal with things all individually, and then you throw in the pandemic and the condition of the world, and that’s been hard,” La’Shaune said. “If we can escape and take some time for ourselves, find a pampering service, sneak away and have a moment for ourselves — that is something that we pride ourselves on in the atmosphere of my salon and spa.”
The Brow Company was one of 2,300 small businesses across the state to receive grants, which were paid for by $40 million from S.C.’s leftover federal COVID-19 aid. Beaufort County businesses received $2.1 million of that funding in grants ranging from $2,500 to $25,000.
Here’s who received the business grants locally, according to data released by the state in January:
To qualify for the grants, businesses had to provide documentation showing they had a decline in revenue between March and November 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019.
An additional program paid for by the leftover federal relief offered $25 million to nearly 700 nonprofits around the state. Nonprofits in Beaufort County received $1.7 million.
Cancer Thrift Store, in Beaufort, received nearly $50,000 in grant money. The nonprofit provides financial support to cancer patients through proceeds from sales.
But the pandemic has meant that fewer people are coming in to shop, director Anthony Stokes said.
“We’re trying to recover, just like everyone else seems to be trying to recover from this situation,” he said.
The organization’s board hasn’t decided exactly what the funding will be used for, such as rent or utilities. But Stokes said he’s grateful.
“It’s been a blessing to get whatever we can get to help us sustain what we’re doing,” he said.
The state awarded grants to 40 nonprofits in the county. Here’s who received the money:
By the numbers
More than 100 Beaufort County businesses were awarded grants, receiving an average of about $19,600. Just over a third of those businesses were minority-owned, and a little more than a quarter had not received any prior COVID-19 aid, such as Payment Protection Program loans. Minority-owned businesses were less likely to have received PPP loans.
The grants were competitive. Beaufort County had 368 businesses request nearly $8.4 million in aid, but only 28.5% of applicants received money and only 24.5% of the requested funds were granted. Still, Beaufort County received the fifth-highest amount of aid, after Charleston, Richland, Horry and Greenville. Altogether, businesses in the counties accounted for more than half of the allotted aid.
Eight Jasper County businesses received a little more than $106,000 combined. Nine businesses in Hampton County received almost $147,000 altogether. Each county had one nonprofit grant recipient — the Jasper County Council on Aging in Jasper, which received $50,000, and the Teach Youth Program in Hampton, which received $8,000.
Could more relief be on the way?
Across the state, more than 9,600 small and minority-owned businesses applied for $213 million of COVID relief. Most didn’t get any.
In his executive budget, Gov. Henry McMaster has proposed setting aside $123 million in state money for a small business relief grant program administered by the state’s Department of Commerce. To qualify for the program, businesses would have to be located in South Carolina, not owe taxes to the state, employ 25 or fewer workers, be operating since Sept. 13, 2019, and be able to show a direct financial impact by COVID-19.
Businesses that have not received previous COVID-19 aid would receive preference. The governor’s proposal does not include any preference for minority-owned businesses.
State lawmakers are still in the early stages of writing the 2021-2022 budget.
This story was originally published January 31, 2021 at 7:30 AM.
