FOX 2 - A hair dryer - and no hair to style - empty chairs in a once busy salon.
Sonya Molette owns salon hype hair on Seven Mile in Redford - and the shutdown means she's struggling and so are her employees.
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Small businesses need help
Plenty of small businesses are seeing tough times during the pandemic.
"With the pandemic going on and we're not able to service the community, we’re receiving - at this point - we're receiving no income at all," said Sonya Molette.
Molette is one of thousands of beauticians and barbers in metro Detroit and Myra Lee is with Abea LLC - a family owned beauty platform and business accelerator dedicated to promoting black and brown businesses - but now they're trying to help them survive.
"These small businesses as well as professionals are easily your family and friends and have created a safe space for communities of color to gather and really be close to their neighbors," said Lee.
So Abea has started the Beauty Professionals of Color Relief fund - a fundraiser with the #givetheusual - encouraging people to donate what they would normally pay for a cut, color, trim or treatment and tip.
How many people they're able to help depends on how many donations they get.
They've raised more than a thousand dollars in just a few days but hope to raise more than $10,000 - to distribute grants of up to a thousand dollars to barbers and beauticians who apply for funding.
Minority businesses with fewer than 10 employees are encouraged to apply.
For people like Sonya Molette - who is one of the many applicants expected - every little bit will help - after six years in business here, she wants to be able to say - I'm still here - when the COVID-19 crisis is over.
"I'm praying that I am one of the ones that can get help to keep my business thriving and going after the pandemic," she said.
For more information, go to https://www.abeabeauty.com/abea-foundation