Christy Signs – ARIZONA

A Sign For the Times – PPP Funding Assists Century Old, Christy Signs

A tried and true local business, Christy Signs has been ingrained in the Phoenix business community’s fabric for nearly a hundred years. Founded in 1924 by Mr. Christensen, Christy Signs has remained a family-owned business with Candy Christensen, third-generation owner, now at the helm. Having a passion and unique skill of working with gold leaf lettering, Mr. Christensen started his business to provide quality signs. In fact, his work can still be seen at Hanny’s in downtown Phoenix.

Offering unparalleled customer service and top of the line signage solutions, Christy Signs has continuously grown and maintained a loyal customer base. Evolving with the times has been crucial for the business to continue operating. Responsible for creating high-quality, eye-catching signs for many local and high profile businesses across the Valley, Christy Signs is a big part of the business community in the Valley. Before the pandemic, their business was on a trajectory of continued success providing businesses solutions in replacing or creating new signage.

As COVID-19 ravaged our small business community, Christy Signs was not spared. In the beginning stages of the pandemic, Candy worked hard to secure new and work on completing existing projects. She relied heavily on their reputation and long-standing in the community. As many clients continued to place their orders, Candy realized the orders were not coming in, in quantities that could maintain her operation and costs.

With a difficult decision to make, Candy had to let several staff members go and sacrifice parts of the budget simply to stay open. As times were turning rough, a glimmer of hope was on the horizon when the SBA announced the Payment Protection Program (PPP) funding. Available to businesses everywhere across the country, PPP appeared to be a lifeline for many companies. As any business owner would do, Candy went directly to her business bank for assistance. Turned away due to lack of funds, Candy sought help from other institutions to no avail.

Feeling helpless, Candy decided to keep looking for help. Stumbling upon Prestamos indeed turned into the lifeline she was seeking. Offering businesses in the service areas of Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, Prestamos was able to help hundreds of companies with the PPP application, process, and proper use of funds.

“Working with Prestamos has been amazing since day one; I have contacted Roberto at least once a day since applying. He is always there with an answer, keeping me up to date.”, said Candy of her experience with the Prestamos.

Helping small local businesses with funding is just a part of what we do. At Prestamos, our goal is for businesses to thrive, grow, and succeed in every aspect of their operation. We understand that operating a business is no small feat – we provide our clients with excellent customer service and guidance in areas they need it most. Like with Christy Signs, we are proud to work with the businesses in our communities that drive and keep our economy afloat.

At Prestamos CDFI, we are here to help you with any needs your small business has. We offer a variety of loan products and business consulting programs to help your business grow and succeed.