Bar Owner Takes Down Money Stapled To Walls And Ceilings To Pay Employees During Coronavirus Crisis

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (CBS Local) -- A Georgia bar owner struggling to pay her employees during the COVID-19 pandemic is proving a dollar bill can go a long way. Customers at The Sand Bar on Tybee Island have been stapling dollar bills on the walls and ceilings for about six years.

"It's just home to a lot of people," owner Jennifer Knox told CBS affiliate WTOC. "We have bar church here, a sign class here. A lot of awesome stuff that brings the community together."

But with people urged to stay at home and respect social-distancing rules, business has temporarily dried up and Knox is having trouble paying her staff. So she decided to take down the dollar bills one by one and give the cash to the employees.

It took three-and-a-half-days to remove all the money, but the cash added up to $3,714.

"We literally had money on the walls and time on our hands," she said. "There was not a more perfect time to give back to my people."

After some customers donated another $390 for the cause, bartenders and musicians who work at the Sand Bar ended up receiving about $600 each.

"Oh my god!" employee Lydia Clark exclaimed. "That will pay my rent."