Bar Owner Removes $3,700 In Cash Stapled On Bar Walls To Pay Out-Of-Work Employees

Apr 14, 2020 by apost team

Recently, small business owners of all stripes are fighting to provide for their employees. Jennifer Knox, owner of The Sand Bar on Tybee Island, Georgia felt deeply for her employees when she had to shut down on March 24 and came up with a creative idea to help to provide for her work family.

The Sand Bar has been in operation for over 15 years and it had become something of a tradition for patrons to staple dollars to the walls. Jennifer runs The Sand Bar with her mother, Pam Hessler. In fact, Jennifer had worked there for seven years before she became the owner, which meant she was both close to the bar and the employees.

Just like other businesses, when restaurants were limited to takeout or delivery, The Sand Bar was forced to lock its doors and send its employees home. In a Facebook post, she mentioned how it was the same six people working every day. Looking around her empty bar, she realized there was the opportunity to give back to them.

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In an interview with CNN, she said "We were sitting there doors locked and I'm like oh my gosh, there's money on the walls and we have time on our hands," referring to the bar's decor. "We gotta get this money down."

Jennifer and five volunteers worked tirelessly over the following three and a half days to get the money off the walls - a difficult task given that some had a lot of staples and some were even foreign currency!

Patrons had taken up the habit of writing memories of their experiences on the dollar bills they stapled to the walls, and now those personal, heartfelt messages would be both a supplement and positive message to her employees. Not only that, but some patrons heard about what she was doing and donated more money, bringing the total to $4,104. The two musicians and four bartenders received $600 each.

Because Tybee Island is a popular tourist destination in Georgia and the shutdown happened just at the beginning of the tourist season, Jennifer generously set up a Venmo account to take advantage of the publicity her move received and help gather donations for any other service person on Tybee Island needing help.

Now, instead of dollars, The Sand Bar sports a new coat of bright paint in anticipation of reopening.

What do you think of Jennifer’s act of generosity? Have you ever been on the receiving end of someone’s selfless act? Don’t hesitate to tell us about it in the comments below and be sure to pass this story along to anyone whose day it could brighten!