After two and a half months of shutting down due to the corona virus, many store owners in the US saw a brightening. But now the turmoil clouds are gathering again, as several of them risk getting their operations destroyed in the wake of the George Floyd protests.

Hussein Aloshani runs a small grocery store in Minneapolis, the heart of the demonstrations. He smacks his arms in frustration as he talks about how the family-owned store was attacked on Friday.

- I stood outside and pleaded, "Please, I don't have insurance," he tells the New York Times.

Hussein Aloshani is far from alone. In Minneapolis, at least 270 stores have been vandalized, looted or have doors and windows smashed. Several stores have burned to the ground while others suffered severe water or fire damage, according to local media.

Woke up by gunfire

The protests have spread to at least 140 cities around the country, including Atlanta in the state of Georgia. Kris Shelby runs a clothing store in the hard-hit city. On the night of Saturday, he woke up with gunshots and a few hours later the store had been looted.

"Many people do not understand how much blood, sweat and tears are behind owning a business," Shelby told the NY Times.

He himself is African American and shares the pain with those who protest against racism and police violence. But looting shops is the wrong way to go, he says.

- It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, if I'm to be honest.

"Let us be"

In Los Angeles, several African American store owners have put up signs to show that the store is run by African Americans, according to the LA Times.

Pedro Mojarro, who owns a hamburger hook in the city, says he supports the demonstrations - but not the harm. On Friday, he was forced to appeal to the protesters to leave his restaurant.

- If you are not outside your store, they will break in, he tells the newspaper, and continues:

- Let's be, we're going through a lot already.

At the same time, collections are now being started for store owners who have had their businesses destroyed. I St. Paul in Minneapolis has raised $ 75,000, worth just over $ 700,000, to help small businesses recover from property damage and lost income, USA Today reports.