By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) is celebrating D.C. Small Business Week from April 29 to May 4 with a host of free events and summits open to the District’s more than 70,000 small business owners.
At the top of the week, Bowser announced that 64 brick-and-mortar retail businesses became recipients of the Robust Retail Citywide Grants. She also toured several businesses and nonprofits located on Rhode Island Avenue Main Street that have received government funding.
“If we have more jobs, we have more businesses and we put more D.C. residents to work, then we can continue to make historic investments in schools, transportation and in our human services programs,” said Bowser.
The week coincided with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week. Following the kick-off event, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, D.C. Health Link, DSLBD and Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) hosted a small business summit and expo on April 30. The event featured workshops covering best business practices and networking and grant opportunities.
On May 1, small business owners were invited to a DSLBD workshop on accessing capital and a pitch and resource exhibition at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The Downtown District Improvement District organized an exclusive celebration and networking gathering for Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs) on May 2. There, business owners connected with their peers and industry experts.
The businesses Bowser visited during the kick-off included Studio Chique Salon, Zeke’s Coffee, Emma’s Torch and Bandura Design. The latter, a women-led hospitality and multi-family interior design firm, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its remodeled space on the Ward 5 corridor.
“My amazing team, fondly known as the ‘Bandura Babes,’ has doubled in size since we moved into this location. That growth has provided the opportunity and need for continued development in our space,” said owner Jennifer Farris.
Thanks to nonprofit D.C. Squared, Bandura Design was the recipient of a facade improvement grant, which is funded by the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
“We are starting, today, to bring our office to the next level along with this amazing, thriving community here on Rhode Island Avenue.”
Through DSLBD, the 64 Robust Retail grantees are set to receive $10,000 to cover eligible business expenses, including wages for employees, rent, utilities, insurance and cleaning supplies. Since the grant program’s inception, the agency has deployed nearly $4 million to businesses spanning the District.
“These investments clearly demonstrate that D.C. is putting our money where our mouth is when we say that our small businesses are truly the backbone of our local economy,” said At-large D.C. Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, chair of the Committee on Business and Economic Development.
Bowser’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes several investments to further support local, small business enterprises. The mayor allocated $4.9 million for the Main Streets Program to bolster the revitalization of District business corridors and $26 million to enact the Business and Entrepreneurship Support to Thrive (BEST) Act, which will streamline the city’s licensing process. She also designated $6.7 million for DSLBD’s Clean Teams, which work to beautify D.C.’s commercial districts.
These investments accompany Bowser’s $401-million Downtown Action Plan, which presents a five-year economic development strategy for the recovery and transformation of D.C.’s downtown.
“I want to recognize Mayor Bowser for making sure that our small businesses—our entrepreneurs who live here, were born and raised here and hire our local residents— are getting the resources they need to be a part of this comeback,” said McDuffie.
Megan Sayles is a Report for America corps member.
