Baltimore May Soon Get More Small Businesses
BALTIMORE (WJZ) --How would you like thousands of dollars to start your own business in Baltimore? There's a new program that makes it possible.
Mike Schuh explains how it works to benefit the city.
Go to any world-class city and what's immediately evident is that their storefronts are full. Now a new program in Baltimore City is the first step to bringing small business downtown.
Jody Davis has worked 25 years to get to this point. She designs clothes and used to make them out of her home. Now, craftsmen in New York do the sewing. It's time for the next big step: her own store.
"I was truly afraid," Davis said.
Having her name on the label is one thing; having it in the window is another. That's where the Downtown Partnership stepped up to make it happen.
"This is a Downtown Partnership program and we're funding grants of up to $10,000 to help the business," said Mike Evitts, Downtown Partnership.
Right now, there are 200 vacant storefronts in downtown Baltimore. They have enough grant money to take down the plywood on 12 of them.
"The idea is to take budding entrepreneurs and connect them with vacant retail storefronts downtown," Evitts said.
"[Without help], it would have been a real struggle, like climbing uphill, but this is helping me to run uphill," Davis said.
The partnership hopes the program will unlock the potential that exists downtown.
"The big idea is to increase my client base by getting people to come downtown to walk through the doors to purchase my collection," Davis said.
"We hope this is something that can be replicated in other parts of the city," Evitts said.
Other recipients include a bagel shop, a theatre and a dance studio.
