BAR HARBOR, Maine — Last week, Governor Mills announced a new grant program to help small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. $200 million will be awarded to businesses who apply and meet certain criteria like having 50 or fewer employees.
It's no secret that the pandemic, and the closures and restrictions that came with it, is impacting Maine's economy. A state nicknamed 'Vacationland' depends on the summer months and out of state guests to keep thousands of stores in business.
Tony Cameron is the CEO of the Maine Tourism Association. He says these grants will be great for businesses but it's not what the Association and other hospitality groups were asking for.
“Tourism is really the heart and soul of Maine, it’s the spirit of Maine, Cameron said. “I just don’t think it’s enough overall to help the businesses that actually need it."
Earlier this summer those groups asked the state for $800 million in funding to support the tourism industry. Cameron added it is a big amount to ask for but says there are 10,000 to 12,000 tourism-based businesses in Maine.
“800-million when you break it up to that many businesses it isn’t a lot of money," Cameron said.
“We’re hopeful that more money is going to be coming down and we will certainly advocate for that and anything we can do to work with the administration and our legislative officials, we will certainly do that.”
Timothy Rich is the owner of The Independent Cafe in Bar Harbor. Earlier this summer he said some businesses in town were financially down 80-90% from what they were at last year.
After the Fourth of July, things picked up but with no cruise ships coming to dock this fall, Rich said the fall and winter months will be "harsh" for businesses.
Rich added he is also disappointed that the state only awarded a fourth of what the industry asked for in financial aid. He said with the grant application criteria, many businesses can't even apply.
“It seems like a big screw you to folks that are working hard and trying to do the right thing," Rich added.
The program money is set to be distributed in October. Cameron added the Department of Economic and Community Development will use a formula based on losses and needs to distribute those funds.
As the tourism and small business industries wait for more funding, stores and shops across Maine continue to try to survive this summer of COVID-19.
“We’re hoping that we can do everything we can to help businesses survive this year and recover next year," Cameron said.
A year no business owner will ever forget.