Struggling Las Cruces business owner gets $20K grant after ‘paperwork got misplaced’

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Long before 2020, Sara Armijo had a dream of opening her own business in Las Cruces: Lucky Dog Billiards.

"Starting a business is difficult in any circumstance," Armijo said. "I think this pandemic has absolutely presented additional challenges."

She planned to open her business in March 2020, but the pandemic delayed it to September of 2020, as ABC-7 reported. She said she was open for fewer than eight weeks when the state closed indoor and outdoor dining again.

"We're hurting," Armijo said. "It's really tough right now."

Armijo applied for CARES Act funding through the city of Las Cruces, but she said her application was denied because the city told her the business was not registered by March 10.

However, the owner said she was only missing a certificate of occupancy.

 "It just makes me question how much the city is really pivoting themselves to help small businesses," Armijo said.

After contacting her city councilwoman, Kasandra Gandara, Armijo said her $20,000 application was approved by the city on Monday.

"She was pretty distressed and upset," Gandara said. "She reiterated that she received inconsistencies as it related to the application process."

 "Lucky Dog was just one of those situations where some paperwork got misplaced," said Chris Faivre, who works in the city's Economic Development Department.

The city of Las Cruces received about $5 million in CARES Act funding from the federal government, Faivre said. He added that about 10 city staffers have the task of processing hundreds of applications.

He said he contacted Armijo personally to explain the error.

 "It's one of those things that comes up when you're processing 500 applications in a little over 30 days," Faivre said. "I explained to her what happened and apologized for any of the mishap."

 "I'm frustrated because I was told that it was part of a bureaucratic malfunctioning or systems not talking," Armijo said. "While that might be the reason, it certainly doesn't help when I'm struggling day by day."

With the $20,000 funding, she said she hopes to keep her doors open through February.

"I'm close to a million dollars in debt," Armijo said.

The city's application for CARES Act funding has closed, but if you'd like to apply for funding with the state of New Mexico, you can click on this link.