With No Word On Covid Loans, Small Businesses Run Out of Time (2)

Jaja Chen and her husband Devin Li were elated when they signed a lease for their new bubble tea shop, Cha Community. Both Asian-American immigrants (her from Taiwan, him from China), they said it was a struggle to find authentic Asian food in their new home of Waco, Texas. So they eventually decided to host a pop-up at a farmer’s market. Later, they moved on to a food truck. Finally, they opened an actual brick-and-mortar storefront where they could serve customers tea and dumplings.

That was December 2019.

Chen signed the lease and got on a plane the next day to visit ...