Mayor Bowser Awards $2.3 Million in Great Streets Grants to Transform Neighborhood Corridors

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio awarded over $2.3 million in Fiscal Year 2020 Great Streets Small Business Grants to 48 local small businesses. The investment continues Mayor Bowser’s effort to support local businesses, create new job opportunities for DC residents, and grow the District’s emerging neighborhoods.

“Small and local businesses are the heart and backbone of DC’s economy – they hire DC residents, circulate DC dollars, and support the culture of our city,” said Mayor Bowser. “I’m particularly proud that this year’s grantees represent such a diverse group of businesses in all eight wards. When we make these types of strategic investments, there’s a ripple effect: we support the businesses and the businesses, in turn, support our residents and empower our neighborhoods.”

The announcement was made at Dudley Beauty College, a 2018 grant recipient on the Rhode Island Avenue corridor in Ward 5. Like many other Great Streets grant recipients, Dudley Beauty College used their grant funding to make improvements to their business, including storefront signage and advertising. The FY20 grant recipients continue to showcase the diversity of the District’s business community. Awardees include businesses ranging from optical retailers and barbershops, to childcare centers and fraternity and sorority apparel stores.

The Fiscal Year 2020 grantees include:

• Ward 1: A New Image by Acia, Arif, Best Cuts, Inc., Fashion Optical, Georgia Mart and Wireless LLC, Guild International, LLC, Jadi Goose, Letena Ethiopian Restaurant LLC, Black & White Look, Mia Spiti, LLC, Sheba Café, Columbia Height Market, Ambassador Restaurant, Salt and Pepper Grill Inc., Sunrise Caribbean Restaurant
• Ward 2: Seylou Bakery and Mill
• Ward 3: Coffee Nature, Washington DC Asian Food Corporation
• Ward 4: 2 New Heights LLC, Abegaz & Choma, Gold Coast Café, Donut Run LLC, El Torogoz Restaurant, Golden Leon Shoe Repair LLC, Highlands Cleaner, Inc, K & Y LLC dba Best One Mart, Lost Sock Roasters, Mid Town Barber Shop Inc., Starlight Food Shop, Kwik Stop, Serengeti Restaurant Lounge, Soap City, USA, Sunrise Caribbean Restaurant
• Ward 5: Fresh Dry Cleaners DC, Blue Print Barber Shop LLC, Bourn to Cut Inc., New Town Cleaners, The Family Laundromat, Mount Olivet Inc, Sequoia School, A Childcare Development Center, Patrick's Pet Care
• Ward 6: Cafe Circuit, LLC, Eden DC Salon Inc., ElectionCycle DC
• Ward 7: A1 Grocery Store, Benning Market, Joy & Nature
• Ward 8: Danakil

There are currently 13 Great Streets corridors located across the District that aim to transform developing commercial corridors into thriving and inviting neighborhood centers: Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Georgia Avenue, NW; Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE; 7th Street, NW, North Capitol Street, NW & NE; Rhode Island Avenue, NE; Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE and South Capitol Street, SE; Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road, NE and SE; Bladensburg Road, NE; Connecticut Avenue, NW; U Street – 14th Street, NW – Adams Morgan; Wisconsin Avenue, NW; H Street-Bladensburg Road, NE.

Through Great Streets, Mayor Bowser has awarded more than $18.7 million to 367 small businesses and helped create more than 2,000 jobs. More information on Great Streets can be found at greatstreets.dc.gov.

The Mayor was also joined by the Director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) Kristi Whitfield to release the District’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Assessment. This report provides an overview of the current state of businesses owned or controlled by minorities or women qualifying as Certified Business Enterprises. In preparing the report, DSLBD recorded and tracked the number of businesses owned or controlled by minorities or women that have been awarded government contracts under the procurement process utilized by the District and assessed the findings to recommend ways to encourage these businesses to better compete in the District’s process. The report can be found at dslbd.dc.gov/page/dslbd-reports.