Colorado Dance Studio Owner Trying To Stay Afloat During Coronavirus Pandemic
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) - Dance studios are one of many businesses in the state and across the country that are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move from teaching in person to a virtual experience has been an adjustment but the financial impact remains the greatest challenge to keep the industry open when the Stay-at-Home Order ends.
"Dance, for us, is a family and a community activity," said Jennifer Jarnot, owner of Artistic Fusion Dance Academy. "We wanted to keep as much consistency and connect with them."
The transition was essential not only to keep the business going but also to make sure students of all ages were still growing as dancers and getting physical movement. Classes are taught on video conference call services, but the cost from the coronavirus goes beyond just the loss of interaction in the same space.
The studio is offering a discount to help with the economic hardship many are facing. Teachers are still getting paid, but Jarnot is using her personal savings to cover some of that expense.
"It was a scary time for us to figure out how to keep our teachers employed, how to keep our students engaged, and how to take a physical location and turn it into a virtual location successfully," she said. "We needed to apply for the loan to ensure that I could keep my teachers employed and that we could pay our rent."
Jarnot went to a large bank to apply for money through the Paycheck Protection Program. She later learned the federal loan option ran out of funding before her application could be approved. Congress is working on another set of loans this week and Jarnot plans to apply for the second round.
She estimates the cost to keep the studio rented and support staff is $60,000 at the moment.
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"There's a whole line of people that are affected and are counting on us to stay open so that their businesses are going to be able to stay open and be sustainable too," Jarnot told CBS4 over a video phone interview. "I'm going to remain hopeful that's the only way I know how to be in these times because everyday, everything changes."
She says her business alone represents the difficulty the world of dance as a whole is facing and demonstrates the importance of supporting all Colorado small businesses. Costume designers, national competitions, and other workers in her industry depend on her studio to earn a part of their living.
Her landlord and other service companies also need payments from her to keep running in this economy. She hopes another attempt will be successful so she can see it through the pandemic. Jarnot estimates her current financial situation can only be sustained for another two months.
"I'm not going to rest all of my plans on getting that money," she said. "We need it and we don't want to get left behind."
