Garland Business District plans fundraiser to assist its merchants struggling during pandemic

Businesses in the Garland district have been struggling the past few months, some open in a limited fashion and others not at all. This weekend the Garland Business District and the Mopar Ministries classic car club will team up for a fundraiser to create a fund to help businesses in the area.

There are 85 businesses in the district, which starts a few blocks west of Division Street, said Garland Business District President Julie Shepard-Hall. Many of them are small.

“Most of our businesses, they don’t have large reserves,” she said. “I’ve just been wracking my brain as to how to help them.”

The Garland Business District is a nonprofit organization, so Shepard-Hall began considering how to use that to their advantage.

“We just started trying to raise money to create a fund,” she said. “My goal is to give money to every business that needs it.”

In a perfect world she’d like to give $5,000 to every business, but she acknowledges that’s a lot of money. If a large number of people each donate a small amount, it could be done, she said.

The Spokane Riverside Cruisers car club held a low-key fundraiser in the district recently.

“We just held out buckets, and as they went by, they dropped money in the buckets,” she said.

Amy Lewis, who works as a waitress at Ferguson’s Cafe, said her car club wanted to help. Together she and Shepard-Hall came up with the Neon Nights Dine and Cruise event set for Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Classic cars will cruise the street, and shops will be open to showcase their wares, even the ones that typically close before 9 p.m.

People can give donations to the Garland Business District at a table set up by Ferguson’s Cafe or they can spend $20 to get a cheeseburger, fries and a drink from Ferguson’s and either a milkshake or an ice cream cone at The Milk Bottle. T-shirts will be available for $30. Those who order in advance online at checkout.eventcreate.com/neonnights/select-buy can get the dinner, dessert and T-shirt package for $40. Those who can’t attend the event but still want to donate can visit garlanddistrict.com.

Businesses in the district who need help will be able to apply for assistance through the Garland Business District and a committee will evaluate the applications, Shephard-Hall said.

Most of the businesses in the district were shut down for months, she said.

“Some of them are still shut down because they’re waiting for Phase 3,” she said.

Those still-shuttered businesses include the iconic Garland Theater. Shops like the vintage shop Zipperz that Shephard-Hall owns with her daughter are only open every other day because of strict restrictions regarding clothing sales.

“If you try on clothes, they have to be pulled from inventory for 24 hours,” she said.

Just because most businesses are now open does not mean the financial difficulties are over. Locations like the Milk Bottle and Ferguson’s are only allowed to operate at 50% capacity, which is a significant burden to restaurants that don’t have a lot of seating. Food prices, especially for meat, have also gone up.

“A lot of our businesses are small,” Shepard-Hall said. “That’s part of the challenge. You’re so limited on how many people who can come in.”

Some business owners, including herself, wonder if they’ll be forced to shut down again if the number of COVID-19 cases rise again.

“I think a lot of our businesses on Garland are resilient,” she said. “But it’s tough.”

Lewis said she’s worked in the district for more than two years and felt immediately drawn to the area when she moved here.

“It’s where I wanted to be,” she said.

Two other members of the Mopar Ministries club live in the district, so it was only natural that the club helped out, Lewis said. “It’s something we absolutely love and want to keep alive,” she said. “Our car club, that’s what we do is service work.”

The many neon signs in the district will be lit up for the event Saturday.

“It’s kind of like stepping back through time with all the neon signs,” Lewis said.

Money from the food ticket sales will go directly to The Milk Bottle and Ferguson’s to pay for the cost of the food, Lewis said. Money from the T-shirt sales will go to the business assistance fund. There should be T-shirts available the night of the event.

“If we sell out, we’ll do a second printing if there’s high demand,” Lewis said.

Shepard-Hall said she hopes people will turn out to see the cars and support the Garland businesses.

“We’re encouraging people to bring their lawn chairs, sit in groups of five or less, wear their masks and do their social distancing,” she said.