Seattle throws a few small businesses a lifeline

Some small Seattle businesses will receive $10,000 checks to help them through the coronavirus crisis. The Mayor’s Office announced the 250 recipients on Monday.

The money comes from the federal government, through a program designed to help very small businesses with modest incomes. But the City of Seattle chooses who gets the money.

Joe Do owns Chatime, a bubble tea shop in South Seattle that's on the list of awardees. He said he’s laid off all his employees, and is working without pay. This new money won’t change that.

“I’m grateful — don’t get me wrong — that we got the $10,000," Do said. "And it considerably helps us over the next couple months.”

But without a plan for recovery, Do said a check on its own isn't enough. He added that the state needs to proactively reach out to businesses, tell them when they can reopen, and ask them what they need to survive until then.

In the Chinatown International District, the International Examiner Newspaper has lost most of its income, which historically came from ads associated with events. When events ended, so did the money.

"I'll be real, it helped us make payroll," Editor in Chief Jill Hyesun Wasberg said of the $10,000 check her organization will receive. "I was thrilled."

But the money will only help the paper stay afloat through the month of April, she said.

Wasberg said the paper, which has only 2.5 employees, is used to running on lean resources and will find a way to survive.

"Within our community, within our organization, there's a lot of heart, a lot of determination, so we're going to try to make it work no matter what we have to do," she said. "And this $10,000 on top of that — it's really good for us for morale. But we're going to use it wisely."

The city used a lottery to make its selection of businesses to award. Officials weighted the results to favor businesses facing the greatest financial risk of displacement. The result is that the majority of winners are businesses owned by people of color in downtown Seattle and the Rainier Valley.

About 9,000 applicants asked the city for relief; 250 businesses will receive $10,000 awards from the $2.5 million dollar fund. City officials acknowledge, however, that much more is needed.

The Mayor's Office is actively seeking donations for a second round of awards. So far, they've raised almost $400,000 including a $50,000 donation from Comcast.

Read the full list of award recipients here.