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Small Businesses Doing What They Can to Make Money

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The sign outside says, "faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens."

The road certainly has darkened for small business owners everywhere, but here at Bert's Steakhouse in Palmerton, they're not saying farewell.

"It's weird," remarked Jackie Costenbader, owner of Bert's. "It's like a ghost town."

Costenbader doesn't like seeing her restaurant empty, after the Governor announced last Monday all non-essential businesses must close. Restaurants could stay open but only for take out.

"My order comes on a Wednesday, so I had already placed my order. The truck was still coming," says Costenbader. "So now my entire walk-in is full of produce. What am I supposed to do with this? So, that's kind of part of the reason why I decided to stay open for deliveries and take-outs."

Costenbader is filling take out orders and offering delivery for the first time at the restaurant that has been in Palmerton since 1957.

Her 11 employees have been left to file unemployment and Costenbader is mostly working alone.

"I did have a couple of people come in and say that they're supporting small business and ordering take out, which I'm very thankful for."

Jevon Nelson helps clean Bert's while he is home from college.

"I come into work as much as I can to help out Jackie, but that's about it," said Nelson, who says he is happy to have something to do. "I like working. It sucks a little doing only take out and delivery because you don't get to see too many people."

While President Trump says his hope is the country will be up and running by Easter Sunday, business owners don't yet know when they'll be able to open their doors again.

"I lose sleep over this. I have a very hard time sleeping at night because it's very unpredictable," says Costenbader. "You don't know when you can open back up. And it sucks, it really does."

Senate leaders voted today on a two trillion dollar stimulus package, including a $367 billion dollar emergency loan program for small businesses. Jackie doesn't know how much she would need to supplement lost income, but says she is going to look into applying for a loan. If not for rent payments, to help her employees who rely on tips to pay their bills.

"We're like a very close family and it really sucks that we can't be here together," she said. "But we're trying to make the best of it. We are keeping busy cleaning."

Keeping busy cleaning and keeping the faith.