www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY May 10, 2020 4
MP eatery receives PPP loan to aid in COVID-19 fi nancial relief
BY JASON COHEN
While most small businesses in the
Bronx did not receive money from the city
to aid them during these harsh times, the
federal government stepped in to help one
business in Morris Park.
Recently, Ann Clairs Salumeria at 1130
Morris Park Ave., was the recipient of fi nancial
relief from JPMorgan Chase, through
“Round Two” of the Paycheck Protection
Program (PPP.) Owner Vincent King said a
load has now been lifted off his shoulders.
For nearly 50 years, the eatery has been
a staple in the community. It is known for
its daily and weekly specials and homemade
mozzarella and Italian sausage.
King, 60, said if they didn’t receive the
money he would have been put in a very
tough spot. King told the Bronx Times that
for weeks, he had been checking his email
for the PPP and he was on cloud nine when
he fi nally saw the confi rmation.
“I was surprised and overwhelmed, “he
said. “When you own a small business you
have to make sure you have money coming
in to pay your bills.”
According to King, the funds will go
directly to payroll and utilities. Because
half of their business is catering, they have
been losing a lot of money.
In his many years of working and operating
Ann Clairs Salumeria he has never
endured such a challenging time.
“If we didn’t receive the money I would
Vincent King and his manager Bryan Ocampo, whose restaurant Ann Clairs received PPP money. Photo courtesy of Ann Clairs
have to lay off half my staff,” he commented.
“My stress level would have been
so high just worrying about what tomorrow
is going to bring to me.”
While he has been open doing takeout,
delivery and Uber Eats, he had no idea how
he could sustain the next few months. King
has seen so many friends and businesses
shuttered and struggling and realizes the
landscape of the Bronx will change.
“You see so many gates down and you
don’t know what tomorrow brings them,”
he said. “It makes the whole Avenue look so
depressing. My heart is broken for them. I
wouldn’t want to see anybody be forced to
close.”
In total, JPMorgan has helped 50,800
New York businesses with an average
loan size of $136,000 totaling $6.9 billion.
The fi rm is expected to fund about $29 billion
to over 239,000 businesses under the
PPP since its inception a little over three
weeks ago, helping to support 3 million
employees
Port Morris Distillery switches to making hand sanitizer for the community
BY JASON COHEN
For a decade, the Port
Morris Distillery has provided
alcohol for the community.
But when COVID-19
arrived, it transitioned to
creating a different product.
Located at 780 E. 133rd
St., it was founded in 2010 by
Rafael Barbosa and William
Valentin. The two distill a
specialty spirit, Pitorro, a
Puerto Rican Moonshine native
to the island of Puerto
Rico.
Valentin told the Bronx
Times that when the governor
told non-essential businesses
to close, he and Barbosa
agreed they should
shutter.
“Like everyone, we were
afraid of what the virus
could do to us or our employees,”
he explained. We
didn’t want to put anyone at
risk.”
However, the duo soon
realized they could stay
open and help the community.
They decided to make
hand sanitizer, which involves
ethanol, glycerin and
peroxide. The distillery has
ethanol and they purchased
the other chemicals in bulk.
With a full staff and all
hands on deck, they began
producing the sanitizer two
weeks ago. It has been selling
like hotcakes and in total,
they have distributed
about 4,000 gallons of the
product.
Companies have bought
it and individuals can purchase
it on their website.
“Any time you’re able to
make money and help other
people, it’s always a good
feeling,” he said. “If someone
had told me I would be
doing this I would have told
them they’re crazy.”
Valentin said he is grateful
the distillery is open.
They are fi lling up delivery
trucks every day and making
sanitizer nonstop.
“Not only are we able
to survive the storm we’ve
been hit with, but a lot of
people are not going to be
able to get out of this storm,”
he said. “It’s a blessing in
disguise.”
Valentin noted that they
did not receive money from
the city or federal government
and was shocked that
only 1 percent of the small
businesses in the Bronx got
fi nancial help from the city.
People are struggling
and things may not get better
for a while, he said.
“A lot of business owners
are hurting right now,” he
explained. “They’re not going
to open back up. I don’t
know where the money is
going, but it’s defi nitely not
going to the south Bronx.”
Port Morris Distillery co-owner Rafael Barbosa making hand sanitizer
Photo courtesy of Port Morris Distillery
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