After a four month closure, Garces said he was determined to reopen, but it wasn’t easy.
“It’s really intense to try to stay in business and people are told to stay home,” he explained.
The Paycheck Protection Program was part of his plan to succeed. Launched by the Small Business Administration last spring, the federal government has doled out more than $6 billion to Connecticut businesses.
“Nothing has compared to the amount of assistance and level of funding that the federal government has offered through the PPP program,” explained Bristol’s economic development director, Justin Malley, noting that the state has offered up small loan programs and that cash-strapped cities and towns don’t have the funds to do the same.