Kerrville’s Howdy’s Bar and Chill owner fears her business’s future due to flood impacts on tourism.
KERRVILLE, Texas — While mourning those lost to the floods, many are also grieving the destruction of their communities in Kerr County.
Among them: small business owners who say they are struggling to rebuild.
For businesses like Howdy’s Bar and Chill, the owner tells me she relies heavily on tourism.
But with the recovery and rebuilding expected to take months, she’s now looking for help to keep her business.
“What’s going to happen with my employees…they’ve become my family…i spend more hours with them than I do my own family,” Owner of Howdy’s and Blue Oak RV Park Lorena Guillen said.
Guillen has to figure out how her businesses will survive.
“And we’re not going to have tourists for how long..it’s going to take long…months if not a year before we can improve this….yes, the locals are amazing – but we fill in the gaps with the tourists.”
That’s where LiftFund, a community lender, comes in.
“Most of them don’t survive past the first couple weeks of a disaster, so getting funding to them is critical at this time,” Adrian Gonzalez with LiftFund said.
A truth Adrian Gonzalez with LiftFund has seen in every disaster area, the thirty years they’ve been helping.
Now in Kerr County, money will be given to small businesses through two programs: grants up to 10 thousand dollars each, and zero-interest loans.
Programs are easily accessible online or in person every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Happy State Bank in Kerrville.
“You can come in here and talk to us anytime you want…we are urging people to go directly to our website…hit that link and it takes you directly”
There may be a limit on the number of recipients…but no limit on the way it could change people’s lives.
“The first grant application was funded in one business day since the applicant applied.”
“And to be able to give it back to someone else is very important, and we all need to keep that in mind.”
But Guillen feels to stay open, It’ll take more help as she tries to move forward…
“local people – the majority of them were born here – what are going to do for them?”
There are other resources through local municipalities.
Tonight we heard from a local business that they received a grant from their chamber of commerce.