Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI), with support from the Guilford Merchants Association (GMA) and the Greensboro Virus Relief Fund, has awarded 75 Retail Revitalization Grants for a final tally of $112,500.
“I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to know we have helped so many small business owners in some way,” said Zack Matheny, President and CEO of DGI. “This pandemic has knocked our downtown businesses down, but with the help of this grant program, it hasn’t knocked them out.”
The Retail Revitalization Grant Program targeted downtown businesses affected by both COVID-19, as well as the civil unrest in late May. Grants of $1,500 each were awarded for new business plan initiatives, inventory growth, marketing, rent assistance, job retention and other related business expenses as part of the program that was launched in May.
“GMA was proud to partner with DGI to provide much needed funds to downtown business owners that have been significantly impacted,” said Mark Prince, President and CEO of GMA. “We hope it relieved some of the financial stress to keep their businesses open as we transition through this pandemic.”
Any storefront retail business that sells a good or service located in the downtown Greensboro Business Investment District (BID) and in business prior to January 1, 2020, was eligible to apply. Start-up money for the Retail Revitalization Grant Program in the amount of $55,000 was provided by DGI and GMA. The Greensboro Virus Relief Fund, established by United Way of Greater Greensboro, City of Greensboro and Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, awarded the program an additional $24,000.
The rest of the funds were raised through community donations by way of a GoFundMe campaign. Private donations included a $5,000 challenge donation from an anonymous donor that was achieved with $5,000 from Deuterman Law Group, $2,500 from the Downtown Residents Association, $1,500 from the Jewish Foundation, and $1,000 from the Rotary Club of Greensboro.
The 75 grant recipients were:
- 1618 Downtown
- 329PM Hair Studio
- Area Modern Home
- Artmongerz
- Baked Downtown
- Bearded Goat
- Beer Co.
- Bijan's Salon
- Blue Denim
- Boho Salon
- Carolina Theatre
- Charlie's Grocery
- Cheesecakes by ALex
- Chez Genèse
- Cincy’s
- City Center Auto
- Community Theatre of Greensboro
- Crafted, The Art of the Taco
- Crooked Tail Cat Café
- Dames Chicken & Waffles
- Deep Roots Market
- Design Archives Vintage and Handmade Emporium
- Dudley Cosmetology University
- Elm Street Lounge
- Flaviano's Mexican Restaurant
- Gate City Candy Co.
- Greensboro Day Spa
- Greensboro Downtown Yoga
- Greensboro Rickshaw
- Gregory's Jewelry
- Greys Tavern
- Healthy Boro
- Hudson's Hill
- Indie Root Hair Co.
- Iron and Cloth Barbershop
- Jacob Raymond Jewelry
- Jade and Co Salon
- Jerusalem Market
- Just Be
- Kingdom Creative Counseling
- Krave Kava
- Lafacial Hair and Nail Salon
- Lao Restaurant
- Legacy Irons Tattoo
- Liberty Oak
- Little Brother Brewing
- Local Honey
- MACHETE
- Manny's Universal Café
- M'Coul's Public House
- Midori Japanese Restaurant
- Natty Greene's
- Pokebowl
- Salon Crie
- Scuppernong Books
- Something BARowed
- SouthEnd Brewing
- Stitch
- Stitch-FX
- Stolen Skateshop
- Stumble Stilskins
- Terra Blue
- The Bodega
- The Forge
- The Green Bean
- The Queen's Royal Beauty Bar
- The View On Elm
- Thousands O' Prints Inc.
- Triad Stage
- Undercurrent
- Union Coffee Co
- Vintage to Vogue Boutique
- Vivid Interiors
- Wes Swan Counseling, PLLC
- White and Wood