Killeen small businesses get grants up to $10k to recover from pandemic

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - Killeen City Council approved 21 small businesses to receive Small Business Relief Grants, hoping to help them recover from financial losses they experienced during the pandemic.

Businesses applied at the beginning of 2022, submitting tax returns to show their financial losses. In order to be eligible for the grant, businesses had to be located in the Killeen city limits, established before March 2020 and have 50 or less employees.

“These businesses have suffered documented losses to their business,” Leslie Hinkle, Executive Director of Community Development, stated. “The goal of the Small Business Relief Grant Program was to assist in stabilizing the business due to revenue losses or employee reductions directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic and business closures required by the state during the pandemic.”

Businesses received grants ranging from $300 to $10k. The grant was intended to match what the business lost up to $10,000.

One of the businesses to receive the grants was Pressed Beauty Bar, a braid salon in Killeen.

“We just want to make people feel confident and strong and empowered when they’re going to work and when they’re going to their extravagant events and just dedicate our services, make people feel great about themselves,” Sasha Taylor, Co-Owner of Pressed Beauty Bar, said.

Taylor said her and her sister, Tanyea Carter, had just started the business when the pandemic hit. They said they had to get two jobs, maxed out their credit cards and used personal finances to keep the business afloat.

“We’ve been using personal finances and credit, almost having to file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, putting our homes at jeopardy at times to maintain this business and keep it afloat because it’s so personal and near and dear to us,” Carter said.

After making it through the pandemic, they said they are still recovering slowly, but the $10,000 will help create a clean slate for their business.

“We’re really in the recovery phase now when it comes to this, being eligible and being accepted for this grant, we are so grateful and it means so much to us to be able to provide a better service, more quality, more products, more wigs for our clients, more access to accessible braiders who are able to assist them,” Carter said. “It means so much. It’s going to help us a lot.”

The city says each business will sign a grant agreement with individual performance requirements.

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