SCRANTON, Pa. — When Governor Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close in March, he gave businesses a chance to make the case for why they should stay open.
Of the roughly 43,000 businesses that applied for a waiver, about 6,000 received one.
Last Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development released the list of exemptions it granted, but it didn't provide the criteria it used for making that decision.
And business owners who were denied say they have a right to know why.
When Tiffany Cianci, owner of The Salted Pixie in Archbald, submitted her application to the state for a waiver to remain open during the shutdown of non-life-sustaining businesses, she thought she'd made a pretty good case.
"We specialize in salt therapy which is actually incredible for upper respiratory conditions, expanding lung function, it also even reduces the symptoms of stress and anxiety, skin conditions, and so many more things. So, it's times like now, these services need to be open to the public," said Cianci.
She even attached medical studies to her application to demonstrate the importance of the services to her customers.
But when she received a generic rejection letter from the state a week later, she doubts those studies were even read.
"It was totally generic, it had nothing to do with my business, and that was that," said Cianci.
She wasn't alone.
Lucia Piccolino and Glynn Murphy, co-owners of AutoBahn Title and Tag in Scranton, received that same letter.
"When we were deemed non-essential. It's kind of heartbreaking when you put all your blood, sweat, and tears into a business," said Piccolino.
Scrolling through the list of more than 6,000 exemptions granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, you'll find a massage parlor, a comic book shop, a martial arts studio, and a title and tag center in Lackawanna County that Piccolino says offers the same services she does.
"I honestly feel that there was no rhyme or reason whatsoever why they were granted one and why I'm not granted one, why none of us were granted one when the governor said we were non-essential does not make sense," said Piccolino.
"It literally feels like they're picking and choosing and they're leaving out small businesses," said Cianci.
The state's Auditor General is investigating the exemption process to determine if it was done fairly.
Responding to that announcement last month, Governor Wolf said, "We tried to do right thing. Were some mistakes made? Maybe. And if they were, then the folks in Pennsylvania have every right to know about that."