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'Every day, we're going in debt' | Elk Grove small business owner describes struggle to close doors amid coronavirus pandemic

Life in the coronavirus economy has hit businesses hard — especially small businesses which have had to shutter their doors and temporarily lay off employees.

ELK GROVE, Calif. — Life in the coronavirus economy has hit businesses hard — especially small businesses, many of which have had to shutter their doors and temporarily lay off employees without pay or health benefits.

Rescate Coffee in Elk Grove is one of those small businesses.

"Normally at this time of day, we would be fully packed in there," explained Ladd Casillas, the owner of Rescate Coffee. "We would have students studying, we'd have parents meeting with their children out here, we’d have dogs on the patio. The place would be completely full."

But everything has changed at the small coffee shop since local, state and federal officials began asking stores to close and people to stay home to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

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Casillas said he sleeps about two hours a night now, since he's had to lay off his workers.

Casillas said while he had to make the heart-wrenching decision to lay them off without pay, he's been doing everything he can to make sure they receive unemployment and healthcare during the pandemic.

"We have 14 employees, and I feel 100% responsible for them," Casillas said. "Which weighs on me, because without the business, I don't have an income myself. So, I don't have a bank account where I can go and just give them money."

Casillas is staying positive, encouraged by the support of the local community, but he admits the future looks bleak for other business. It’s a feeling many other small business owners can likely relate to as they try to figure out their financial future.

Still, he said he knows he has his work cut out for him.

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“When I open back up, because we’re going to, I feel confident in that. It’s going to be like opening a new business all over again.”

He said he has already begun looking into receiving small business loans through the city. Unfortunately, while Sacramento has grants and low-interest loans for small business owners, Elk Grove has yet to do the same.

"The likelihood that local businesses will be able to recover from this is pretty slim, because we’ve still got bills to pay," Casillas explained. "So we're going in debt. Every day, we're going in debt."

Follow the conversation on Facebook with Mike Duffy.

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