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Shuttered Venue Operators Grant helps local businesses rebound

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Before the pandemic, entertainment venues like motion picture and live theaters paid their bills by packing houses. But, once people could no longer sit shoulder to shoulder due to social distancing, many had to effectively shutter their doors.

"We shut down all our live performances," said Mickee Faust Club musical director Larry McCraw. "In fact, we shut the one down about a year ago like the night before we're supposed to open."

The Small Business Administration's Shuttered Venue Operators Grant is now available for businesses like the Mickee Faust Club to rebound from losses due to the pandemic.

"We've been closed ever since," said McCraw.

While Craw says they've kept afloat in part by airing performances online, he adds that previous grant money that also helped keep them going is now dwindling down.

"We do have some part-time employees, which I'm one of, that was done through a grant, but that's running out now, and there's really no replacement for it."

The Federally funded Shuttered Venue Operators grant has $16 billion available. Applicants can get up to 45 percent of the money they brought in based on 2019 earnings.

McCraw says if they apply and are approved, it would help them bounce back sooner rather than later.

"Well we're hoping to get re-open perhaps in the fall," McCraw said.

The first two weeks of the grants are reserved for anyone that suffered a 90 percent or greater revenue loss between April and December of last year.