Sales at Holder Mattress Co. were up about 30per cent last month, compared to a year ago, after the company started letting people back into its two northern Indiana stores, said Lauren Taylor, president and granddaughter of the company's founder."There's either a lot of pent up demand" for bedding, she said,"or people are looking at spending money at home, since they can’t spend it on things like vacations.
Taylor said the company has adapted to rules and restrictions she never imagined before the crisis. When she first reopened a month ago, for instance, Taylor required customers to make appointments to shop, so they could control who was in the store and sanitize surfaces between every shopper. Last month's strong sales are a bright spot for Taylor, but she's still nervous about the months ahead.
Taylor said the PPP funds will run out this week and she's confident she'll get the loan forgiven by submitting detailed records of how she spent the money. The program specified that most, but not all, of the funds be used to keep workers employed."We've documented more than necessary," she said, adding the spread sheet she received from her bank doesn't require the detailed breakdown of spending she's accumulated.