These Thurston businesses are asking for your help because of COVID-19
It reads like a who’s who of Olympia area businesses: Rainy Day Records, New Traditions Fair Trade, Le Voyeur, Dillinger’s, King Solomon’s Reef, Rhythm & Rye, plus others, have turned to the fundraising site Go Fund Me in an effort to raise money during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Small retailers have been hit especially hard during the pandemic.
To control the spread of the virus, Gov. Jay Inslee ordered bars, restaurants and entertainment businesses to close — except to offer food to go — then ordered residents to stay at home. Both decisions have had serious ramifications for business owners.
Not all of these businesses could be reached last week, but the individual campaigns posted on the website explain just how dire the situation has become.
“We are asking for donations to support our laid off employees, to pay our rent, to pay our suppliers who are mostly 1-2 person businesses from other countries, to pay off loans that have supported us, to keep up the work of creating intentional and conscientious community,” the New Traditions campaign reads.
So far the fair-trade shop and cafe at Fifth Avenue and Water Street has raised about $8,300 of a $105,000 goal.
Dillinger’s Cocktails and Kitchen, on Washington Street in downtown Olympia, seeks to raise $20,000.
“It was only a week ago that the restaurants and bars of Washington state were ordered to close so as to slow the contagion of COVID-19. For the safety of you, me, our loved ones ... it is the right thing to do but it has certainly left Dillinger’s in a pickle!” the campaign reads.
Rhythm & Rye owner Andy Geertsen is trying to raise $40,000.
“The only option for us to even have a chance at being able to reopen was to ask for help,” he said in an email. “The fund goes directly to keeping my employees paid — on top of unemployment, if they get it — as well as basic bills and rent for the club and my family.”
A campaign for Lacey business Cigar Daddies, a cigar shop on Lacey Boulevard, seeks to raise $2,500, although owner Chance Wehrer said he was unaware of the campaign. He said Thursday that perhaps a customer had started it.
“That’s just awesome,” said Wehrer, calling it a “nice gesture.”
The cigar business turns eight in June and business has been good — even recently, he said. The business closed last week, then reopened to strong business, but has closed again under the current “stay-at-home” order, Wehrer said.
He thinks the business can weather two, maybe three weeks of being closed. Beyond that, he wasn’t sure. Wehrer said he has considered offering curbside service.
If you would like to help these businesses, you can search by name or city at https://www.gofundme.com/.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
