The past year and a half has turned out to be very different than we had anticipated. While supporting small businesses in the Eastern Market corridor is always at the core of Eastern Market Main Street's mission, the need to address the critical threats small businesses have faced due to the COVID-19 crisis has only reinforced the importance of our services. As a designated DC Main Streets program and an accredited member of the National Main Street Center, EMMS is dedicated to supporting small businesses and fostering a vibrant, neighborhood-serving corridor through public and private space improvements, capacity-building resources, and community events and campaigns. In the past 18 months, we have supported over 300 small businesses with services including: · Conducting over 420 hours of technical assistance helping business owners with grant and loan applications, lease negotiations, financial planning and management, marketing and social media, establishment of e-commerce, and strategic planning. · Distributing $75,000 in emergency small business grants. · Hosting or sponsoring monthly promotional events such as the Spring Scavenger Hunt, DC Dog Days Sidewalk Sale, Hilloween, The Holly Days, the National Cherry Blossom Festival and DC Small Business Month. · Distributing 320 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to Capitol Hill small businesses in support of Re-Open DC. · Advocating on behalf of the small business community to the DC Mayor's Office, DC City Council, and various local and federal agencies on an assortment of topics including economic stimulus, taxes and fees, and permitting. · Promoting corridor businesses with social media posts; and informative newsletters to local businesses and the surrounding community. Throughout these challenging and uncertain times, EMMS has been there for the small business community. This grant will go a long way towards supporting our event programming, grant and technical assistance, and public art projects.
