Nueva Imagen Hair Salon in Langley Park is one of about 130 business that have received grants to help them deal with disruptive construction work. (WTOP/John Domen)
The parking lot in front of the Nueva Imagen Hair Salon in Langley Park is a mess.
The pavement is torn up. Numerous large, concrete cylinders and a big pile of gravel are all stacked along the sidewalk and in front of the shopping center at the corner of Riggs Road and University Boulevard. Getting in and out of there is not easy, so customers don’t even try.
“You can see, we’re empty now,” said Mirian Sanchez, the owner of Nueva Imagen. “The people don’t want to come in because the traffic, all the time, is very busy.”
She said customers never know when the work will further block the entrance in and out of her business.
“Weekend times are a little better because they’re not working, but when they’re working we don’t have, sometimes, space for parking,” she said. “We’re trying to stay open. Hopefully, they finish soon.”
Sanchez is one of 130 businesses that have received a total of around $650,000 in grants for businesses impacted by the light rail project, which is still years away from being finished. More grant money is still available.
“Add that to the pandemic, and many of the businesses in that area have gotten a one-two punch,” said Dawn Medley, president and CEO of FSC First.
Her group is helping to distribute even more grant money sponsored by the Maryland Department of Commerce and Prince George’s County to other businesses that have also suffered because of construction. Businesses that apply can get between $5,000 and 10,0000, based on need.
“This grant can be used for basically any business purpose,” said Medley. “They can use it for payroll. They can use it for rent, for utilities, for insurance, for inventory, to rehire employees.”
Applications for the second round of grant money are being accepted through May 12, with about a million dollars available. In the past, about 130 businesses have applied and gotten grant money, and the goal is to reach hundreds of more businesses that are still eligible, but haven’t applied yet.
“I can’t understand why they wouldn’t,” said Joyce Dory, who owns Emanuel Salon Studios, which is in a shopping center on the corner of Routes 450 and 410 near the New Carrollton Metro Station.
Her salon sits near the Route 410 side of the shopping center, where the construction is loud and generates a lot of dust she believes is the reason why heating and air conditioning units have suffered breakdowns.
“There were several occasions where I had to call in portable units for air and heat because our units were constantly going down,” said Dory. “The one that was breaking down was fairly new compared to the others … and the one that was closest to the dirt seemed to be the one that was constantly breaking down.”
Dory used the grant money to offset those repairs, since she was getting quoted tens of thousands of dollars to install new units. It helped that the grant application was quick and easy, and all done online.
“Maybe like two weeks or so, I was told that I was approved and the money was in my account, so it was very easy,” said Dory.
Any business along the Purple Line route in Prince George’s County is eligible for these grants.
“The money is available now and we need to get it to businesses as soon as possible,” said Medley.
