“They’ve just yanked the rug out from me and other small business owners of America,” said Chandra Carvey, the owner of Hair Hut in Fulton.

Carvey hasn’t worked for almost six weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Receiving zero income, zero support from our state,” said Carvey. “We’re not going to be able to survive on zero. How are we supposed to pay our bills?”

It’s a question left unanswered for many small business owners. Just down the road is NuCab, ran by Whnata LoCastro.

“I laid off 10 people because I cannot afford to keep them on as employees,” said LoCastro. “I’m not even working at this time and drawing a paycheck because there is not enough money coming in. I’m lucky I can put food on my table for my family.”

Denied unemployment and unable to get a loan, many of these owners are in the same boat trying to brave the storm. They rallied Tuesday, hoping to reopen businesses on May 1.

“We should be allowed to make a dollar,” said Carvey. “We are American citizens and this is unfair.”

She says she’s prepared to practice safety measures to keep everyone healthy, such as allowing one person in at a time and wearing masks.

Mayor Deana Michaels supports their motivation to get the message out, but she says it’s too soon to be back in business.

“We’re ready to start planning,” said Michaels. “I serve on a regional council of elected officials that has been proposing plans to reopen and it’s a planning phase. We need to make sure we put the safety and the health of our community at the forefront.”

“Just let us get our employees back to work,” said LoCastro. “Let us get back out on the street. Let us get into our offices. Let us work as companies again. That’s what I want.”

Michaels says the governor has the final say. But, she hopes he knows Fulton is ready to start the process.