When Jamellah Ellis opened Curl Theory nearly three years ago, she wanted to inspire young girls and women with a salon that would celebrate their natural hair. She also planned to prioritize her new staff.

“I wanted to treat them the way I had been treated in corporate America,” says Ellis, who pays her employees salaries rather than renting them booths.

Ellis took out a small business loan to get the salon running and offered her staff benefits such as maternity leave. The venture was a “leap of faith,” a transformational switch from her law career after the death of her husband in 2014. And it’s one that has paid off; for much of the Bowie, Maryland, salon’s existence, she says she’s had a waitlist of customers.

Today, the Curl Theory staff is at home. Their final paycheck will be sent out on Friday. And Ellis, who has three older children (two in high school, one in college) at home and one income, is finding herself questioning how she’ll pay for her family’s basic necessities, such as food and her asthmatic son’s inhalers.

“I’m literally that person who is making choices,” she says.

Businesses in the beauty and grooming industry may be an afterthought when it comes to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. But the now-shuttered hair salons, barbershops, nail studios, and day spas in the D.C. region are taking a major financial hit. Many of these shops are integral parts of their communities, active with local charities, and a gathering place for neighbors. Yet as they wait for federal and local aid, if they’re able to get it, the fate of these businesses — and well-being of their staff — hang in the balance.

Staying Afloat, ‘Day By Day’

Keeping a business going during an economic crisis takes ingenuity, and many small businesses in the region are getting inventive. Alan Pavesi, owner and founder of Wat Massage in Adams Morgan, is selling his artwork to raise funds for his therapist team. Atlas Salon on D.C.’s H Street Corridor is delivering hair-care product orders to customers curbside. And Hazel O. Salon in Old Town Alexandria launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay staff.

But even with those efforts, some shop owners are dipping into their personal cash reserves. Hazel O. Salon opened only six months ago and hasn’t yet had the time to become profitable, much less build a financial safety net, says co-owner Nikita Montgomery. Instead, she and her co-founder have drawn on personal funds to cover rent and utilities, to the tune of $15,000 since the local outbreak began.

“I don’t feel like the beauty industry as a whole is being considered, in the sense that even essential workers and food-service workers and restaurants, they’re able to [offer] take-out,” Montgomery says. “They’re still essentially able to run their business to some degree. And we are not.”

When the pandemic hit the D.C. area, staff at The Neighborhood Barbershop in Falls Church quickly lent a hand to their local community. Via a Facebook group, they offered to do grocery runs, deliver medical supplies, and mow some lawns for neighbors, as well as residents of a nearby nursing home where cases of coronavirus have been identified.

“[We’re] trying to help focus everybody’s willingness to serve in a way that’s productive,” says Dustin Foley, who owns the shop with his wife, Sarah Foley.

Yet the staff itself is also in need. With no money coming in, Foley isn’t able to pay them and instead is helping them file for unemployment insurance. Their final paycheck came in last week.

Kimberly Smith and Amaya Smith (no relation) launched Brown Beauty Co-Op in late 2018 as a beauty and wellness space where women of color would “feel welcome.” The Sephora-like Dupont Circle business was a significant investment for Kimberly, who took a hiatus from her career as an attorney to devote her full attention –– and much of her personal funds –– to the business.

“I knew the risk that I was taking,” she says. “But I don’t think anyone can ever predict that something like this will happen where you’re actually forced to close your doors.”

Surviving through this period, she says, is a “day by day” situation.

Applying For Aid: Logistical Challenges, Confusion And Uncertainty

Several forms of federal economic aid are now available under the recently passed CARES act, including loans, grants, and debt relief. D.C. and Maryland have created additional emergency relief programs. But accessing that aid comes with challenges of its own.

For one thing, the process can be tedious. Ellis is relying on personal savings to cover payroll and won’t be able to afford future paychecks for her Curl Theory staff without financial assistance.

As soon as she learned about new emergency small business loans, she says she started the online application process. But she quickly hit some snags. She was forced to wait a few minutes every time she entered new information in the online platform and losing previously saved entries when she logged back in.

“I’ve literally started all over because I have no idea what happened to all of the work I had previously done,” Ellis says.

With so much new information rolling in almost daily on available aid, the process can also be confusing. Foley says he has looked into relief options for The Neighborhood Barbershop but says information he’s received about available help has seemed “daunting.”

“There’s so much fluidity in the situation right now, it’s kind of hard to know what is actually going to happen,” Foley says. “There’s a lot of speculation and rumor.”

And it’s not clear how much money each business will receive, when they’ll get it, and how long it will keep them afloat.

Rent for Brown Beauty Co-Op is due now, and will likely come out of the founders’ savings. They’re continuing to sell products online and planning to apply for loans and grants, but have some reservations.

“You’re not sure if your application is going to get rejected or accepted,” Kimberly says.

Studio owners are also hesitant to take on too much debt. Montgomery of Hazel O. Salon is considering a Small Business Administration loan. Under the new Paycheck Protection Program in the federal stimulus package, some loan funds can be forgiven if employees are kept on the payroll. But Montgomery is concerned about taking on financial liability that may not be forgiven down the line.

“It’s very tempting to take whatever loans are being offered at the time, but we don’t want to be in debt when this is all over,” Montgomery says.

‘It’s Going To Take Years’

Some industry organizations are providing help during the pandemic, in the form of webinars and online resources. The economic arms of local jurisdictions and business improvement districts are also lending a hand to small businesses.

But even for shops that are able to make it through this economic downturn, questions about their future remain.

Pavesi is concerned that even after the threat of coronavirus fades, patrons of Wat Massage may still be wary of entering the close-quarters space of a massage for an extended time period. He also acknowledges that for most people, his service is a luxury, and one that’s particularly out of range during an economic crisis.

“There are things that people can survive without. Massage is definitely one of them,” Pavesi says.

He estimates the rent payments alone during this period might cost him tens of thousands of dollars in debt. While his landlord is offering him flexibility on payment at the moment, he’s considering taking out an SBA loan to cover rent in the future. And, he is deeply concerned about his staff, calling them a “family.”

“It’s going to take years to be able to get on our feet again,” Pavesi says. But the immigrant from Brazil, who says he moved to the U.S. two decades ago with $100 in his pocket, says he’s going to give it everything he’s got. “I’m a fighter. I’m not going to let a virus bring me down.”

This story originally appeared on WAMU.