Did Reno Mayor Schieve Get PPP Loans That Were Forgiven? New Records Say Yes.
Mayor Hillary Schieve’s used-clothing stores landed four PPP loans that were forgiven — raising serious questions about fairness, transparency, and the meaning of “essential."
Jan 14, 2026
When the pandemic struck, many Reno residents and small businesses faced sudden shutdowns, layoffs, and economic collapse. The federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was billed as a lifeline — meant to keep businesses afloat and save jobs. But public records recently brought to my attention suggest that while many local entrepreneurs struggled or went out of business, Mayor Hillary Schieve’s own used-clothing stores landed not one but four PPP loans that were ultimately forgiven — raising questions about fairness, transparency, and the meaning of “essential” during a crisis. Although this happened some time ago, records were recently sent to me.
PPP and the Promise of Relief
The PPP was created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to offer forgivable loans to small businesses that kept workers on payroll during COVID-19 disruptions.
If businesses followed PPP rules — maintain payroll, keep or reinstate staff, spend on eligible costs — the loans could be forgiven entirely, meaning no repayment.
The program was sold to the public as a way to preserve livelihoods, prevent mass layoffs, and give struggling businesses a chance to survive. But as widespread PPP forgiveness hit the headlines, critics warned of abuse, inequity, and the moral hazard of public funds going to businesses that may not have needed them.
An entry from the PPP database showing that Resale Girl got a PPP loan forgiven. Click the image to see the entry in the database.
Schieve’s Businesses: What They Are and When They Got Help
Mayor Schieve is more than a public official — she’s also a business owner. Public records show she owns two used-clothing retail companies:
Resale Partners, LLC (operating as “Clothes Mentor”) and
Resale Girl, LLC (operating as “Plato’s Closet”).
According to the public data referenced by local sources, Schieve’s first business, Clothes Mentor (Resale Partners, LLC), received a $24,260 PPP loan on May 1, 2020, with a claim of retaining seven jobs, and a second loan in the same amount on February 12, 2021, claiming eight retained jobs. Both loans were reportedly forgiven. Her second business, Plato’s Closet (Resale Girl, LLC), received a $59,350 loan on May 1, 2020, claiming 21 retained jobs, and another for $59,347 on February 12, 2021, claiming 15 retained jobs—again, both listed as forgiven. If these numbers are accurate, Schieve’s businesses benefited from approximately $167,217 in taxpayer-backed aid that did not require repayment.
If these numbers are accurate, that’s roughly $167,217 in forgiven taxpayer-backed aid going to her businesses.
The Complication: Public Statement vs. Public Record
Here’s where things get tangled. In May 2020, a local news article quoted Schieve saying she had “missed out on PPP funding” for Clothes Mentor and Plato’s Closet — suggesting she did not receive any PPP funds at the time.
Yet, PPP loan databases now list four approved and forgiven loans for her companies. That raises a stark inconsistency: Did she really “miss out,” or did funds come later? Was the earlier statement inaccurate or misunderstood?
This discrepancy alone warrants deeper scrutiny. For a public official, transparency about financial benefit — especially from taxpayer-backed relief — is fundamental.
Reno mayor misses out on PPP funding for Clothes Mentor, Plato’s Closet
Were Used-Clothing Stores “Essential”?
One significant piece of context: during the pandemic, Steve Sisolak (then Governor of Nevada) issued emergency orders mandating closure for “non-essential” businesses.
The official definition of “essential business” as of April 2020 included some retail categories—primarily those dealing in food, groceries, home supplies, and other necessities.
Crucially, standard retail — especially resale stores and second-hand clothing shops — was not explicitly listed as an essential service. Under the state’s guidance, “Retail facilities not defined as essential” were supposed to close, unless they pivoted to delivery or curbside models.
That calls into question whether Plato’s Closet or Clothes Mentor legitimately qualified as essential to remain open — and whether their PPP funding is consistent with the spirit of the program (designed in part for businesses forced to shut or severely curtailed).
If they remained open for regular retail during lockdown, the need for “payroll assistance” via PPP becomes less persuasive; if they were closed or limited, the job-retention numbers claimed should be scrutinized.
According to sources, Mayor Schieve’s stores stayed open, while she was said to be sending out people to check other businesses and report back to city officials.
An entry from the PPP database showing that Resale Girl got a PPP loan forgiven. Click the image to see the entry in the database.
Job Retention: Plausible — or Inflated?
PPP forgiveness hinges on maintaining or restoring payroll.
In Schieve’s case, the loan applications claimed retention of 7, 8, 15, and 21 jobs across her two stores. On paper, that seems plausible — but:
There’s no publicly available audit verifying those staffing levels, nor are there any actual payroll records.
Neighbors and small business owners have reported widespread closures and layoffs across Reno during the same period, which raises the question: how widespread was the aid, and how equitably distributed?
Without independent verification, “loan forgiven = no repayment” becomes a murky proxy for “help saved jobs.”
In other words, forgiveness doesn’t guarantee legitimacy or moral justification. The original aim of PPP was to assist struggling businesses, but second-hand stores that may have stayed open blur that justification.
The Wild and Crazy Legacy of Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve
The Ethical Problem: Public Office + Public Aid + Private Gain
The optics of this situation are uneasy. A sitting mayor — one tasked with guiding Reno through a public-health and economic crisis — was simultaneously the beneficiary of substantial taxpayer-backed aid via her private businesses.
Consider: while many Reno families, entrepreneurs, and employees struggled or lost their livelihoods, Schieve’s stores avoided that fate.
That raises issues of fairness, equity, and public trust. If PPP was meant to help those in distress, why did some of the most stable or politically connected benefit so much?
This is not a partisan critique. It is a matter of accountability. When public officials accept public relief for private enterprises, they should be held to higher standards of transparency.
Understanding this situation is especially important in light of Schieve’s other controversies and the possibility that she might run for higher office in the future.
🧴 Mayor Schieve and Doctor Hovenic: Spooge, and Scrutiny
What We Know — and What We Don’t
✅ Known / Documented
Schieve owns two used-clothing retail businesses.
Public-facing data shows four PPP loans to those businesses, with amounts and job-retention claims.
The loans were reportedly forgiven.
⚠️ Not (Publicly) Verified
Whether the stores truly met the “essential business” criteria under state COVID-19 shutdown orders.
Actual payroll records or documentation to back up claimed retained jobs.
Whether the businesses would have failed absent PPP, or whether they were merely sheltering cash flow.
Whether public-interest scrutiny ever examined their eligibility or compliance.
Mayor Schieve: Promises, Claims, but Missing Facts
Why This Matters for Reno — and All of Us
Public trust in government depends not only on good intentions but on transparency, fairness, and accountability. When elected officials take advantage of relief programs meant to aid struggling people and businesses, it erodes that trust.
In a time when thousands of Reno residents faced eviction, job loss, and uncertainty, a relatively small number of businesses (including those owned by political insiders) appear to have navigated the crisis with outsized benefit.
If nothing else, this situation deserves public disclosure and straightforward answers. Reno’s citizens should know whether its mayor — their public servant — also benefited from relief funds in a way others did not.
Closing Thought
I’m not claiming that Mayor Schieve did anything wrong. I’m saying that when public money goes to private businesses, especially those tied to public officials, the public deserves clear, honest answers.
After all, PPP wasn’t supposed to be a bailout for the well-connected. It was supposed to be help for the vulnerable, the struggling, those trying to survive.
If Schieve’s businesses were eligible — and appropriately qualified — then that’s one thing. But as long as there are contradictions between public statements, loan records, and the state’s shutdown rules, that eligibility remains questionable.
Reno deserves the truth. Its citizens deserve accountability. And more than that, we deserve a level playing field.