FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Contact: Julianne Cho, SBS Director of Communications - jcho@sbs.nyc.gov, 212-513-6318

CITY AWARDS MORE THAN $3.5 MILLION TO HELP LONGSTANDING BUSINESSES COMPETE AND GROW IN A MODERN ECONOMY

Initiative Selects Second Round of 20 Neighborhood Businesses to Receive Grant Awards

New York — NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Gregg Bishop today announced that the City awarded over $3.5 million to help longstanding businesses adapt and grow in a modern economy. A second round of twenty small businesses across the city have been selected to receive grant awards of up to $90,000 each through an initiative called NYC Love Your Local. Selected businesses will use grant awards to cover the costs of projects identified by in-depth business consultations delivered by industry experts.

The first round of NYC Love Your Local grants awarded $1.8 million to 20 small businesses in December 2018. New Yorkers have also shared over 2,500 of their favorite small businesses to the NYC Love Your Local interactive, online map since 2017.

"NYC Love Your Local exemplifies the City's commitment to celebrating small businesses as the backbone of our neighborhoods," said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. "By working directly with longstanding businesses to help them adapt to an ever-changing city we can better understand how best to support all small businesses as they start and grow in a modern economy."

NYC Love Your Local awardees are small businesses operating for at least three years in New York City's five boroughs. Awardees were selected based on a business needs assessment. Grants will be used to fund projects including improving operations, training employees, updating technology, enhancing the business location, and improving financial management.

The following are the grant awardees:

• Botanica Bar
• Brooklyn Music Factory
• Charlotte Patisserie
• Fusion East
• Greenwich St. Jewelers
• Harlem Public
• Harlem Underground
• Heavy Woods
• Hudson Station
• Manducatis Rustica
• Manhattan Physio Group
• Martin Busch Jewelers
• My Wellness Solutions
• Penn & Fletcher
• Sabir, Richardson & Weisberg Engineering & Architecture
• Sisters Cuisine
• Star Security Training
• The Smile
• Thompson Brooke
• Tre Otto

Grant awards are funded in part by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

"Initiatives like 'Love Your Local' help small businesses thrive and are vital to ensuring local economic health. These neighborhood economic engines help create more jobs and opportunities across the five boroughs and we encourage more businesses to apply for grants through this impactful program," said NYCEDC President James Patchett.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams said, "Congrats to Brooklyn Music Factory, Charlotte Patisserie, Fusion East, Heavy Woods, Start Security Training, and Thompson Brooke for winning Love Your Local grants from SBS. The backbone of our borough's economy are small businesses like these that have invested in our neighborhoods. By investing in their future, we invest in our city's future."

"Small businesses are vital to New York City," said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. "I'm happy to support NYC Love Your Local as we celebrate these businesses and show how committed this City is to ensuring they are able thrive in our ever-evolving neighborhoods."

"Manducatis Rustica and Penn & Fletcher are just two of the many high-quality small businesses that make Queens their home," said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. "Both are well-deserving of the grants they have been awarded by the NYC Love Your Local program, an important initiative that helps small businesses thrive in New York City. Congratulations to Manducatis Rustica and Penn & Fletcher as they continue to grow and contribute to our borough's vibrant economy."

Council Member Keith Powers said, "Small businesses not only make our city vibrant and unique, but also contribute to quality of life and our economy. NYC Love Your Local is a great opportunity for small businesses to receive support they need. I am especially proud of the businesses in my district that received grants this year, Manhattan Physio Group, Sabir, Tre Otto, and Richardson & Weisberg Engineering and Architecture. Thank you to Small Business Services for creating this program and for their commitment to supporting the backbone of New York City."

"New York City runs on small businesses," said Council Member Mark Levine. "They are at the very core of our city's unique identity and the economic driving force for so many of our neighborhoods. Harlem Public is a excellent example of the important role small businesses have in our community and I am thrilled that they are getting a chance to grow their operations through this grant. The NYC Love Your Local program is providing small businesses, like Harlem Public, with the capacity to keep up with changing business environments and to compete in a modern economy. Harlem needs businesses like Harlem Public to survive and the NYC Love Your Local grants are giving them a chance to thrive."

Council Member Inez Barron said, "It is wonderful that a business in East New York, Fusion East, has been selected to receive an award through SBS's Love Your Local program. I anticipate that the grant award, technical assistance and inclusion in the SBS interactive map will be of great value. I look forward to many more local businesses also benefitting from the program in the future."

About NYC Love Your Local

In February 2017, SBS launched the first phase of NYC Love Your Local, a $400,000 marketing campaign to celebrate the city's independent, small businesses and encourage New Yorkers to shop locally. Ads aimed to encourage New Yorkers to shop at independent neighborhood businesses. New Yorkers were asked to share their favorite small business on an interactive, online map so that these businesses can be discovered by other friends and neighbors. Once shared, businesses were prompted to apply for grants during the next phase of the initiative. New Yorkers were also encouraged to share why they love their favorite local business on social media by using the hashtag #LoveYourLocalNYC. For more information, visit nyc.gov/loveyourlocal.

About the Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information, visit nyc.gov/sbs, call 311 and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.