N.J. small businesses left to fend for themselves by Murphy administration during pandemic, owners say

At the onset of the pandemic, Vinnie Brand, the owner of Stress Factory comedy clubs in New Jersey and Connecticut, had just opened a restaurant adjacent to his Bridgeport club and employed more than 50 full-time employees to whom he proudly provided health insurance. He was also “essentially” debt free, save for a $25,000 line of credit.

A year later, he told Republican lawmakers probing the effect of the state’s pandemic response on New Jersey’s small businesses Friday, he’s slashed his full-time employee ranks by two-thirds and eliminated health benefits for those who remained. He’s also ha…