CBP's Small Business Emergency Task Force is nominated for a COVID-19 Response Award!
photo credit: Ed Weiss for Central Baltimore Partnership
Central Baltimore Partnership (CBP) created a Small Business Emergency Task Force that galvanized the organization’s efforts to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 on Central Baltimore entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Task Force adopted and ethos that no business is too small to fail.
Consisting of 21 business owners, financial leasers, and policymakers, the Task Force developed innovative approaches to stabilize our small businesses:
Square Meals regenerated critical revenue for 17 (40% Black/women owned) restaurants while also providing high-quality meals to healthcare workers at Union Memorial and Johns Hopkins Hospitals. The initiative provided $71,500 in revenue for participating restaurants and served 6,800 meals. Residents and businesses of were the financial backbone making 400 single contributions;
PPP Technical Assistance Teams provided essential one-on-one assistance to small businesses seeking PPP funding not excluding State and City. Out of the 53 businesses helped 49 secured funding averaging $39,352 in aid; and
Design for Distancing (D4D)– a $135,000 capital initiative co-led by the Neighborhood Design Center and the Baltimore Development Corporation in Station North to help businesses reopen by activating the public realm with outdoor dining, a Holiday marketplace, and enhanced carryout operations. See more about the D4D project below by watching the video and VOTING for the design!
The Task Force work has been impressive. To date, only one business has closed out of the 53 helped andtwo new businesses—Alma Cocina Latina and Mera Kitchen Collective—recruited to fill a storefront vacancy.
Square Meals was a lifeline to our restaurants during the early stages of the pandemic by providing needed revenue. Participating restaurants stated that without this small but critical source of revenue; they would have failed.
Without the Technical Assistance Teams and their expertise in filling-out PPP forms, our small businesses would certainly not have been able to secure an average of $39,352 in grants.
Design for Distancing (D4D) initiatives impacts are:
-Assisted 12 businesses created enhanced carry-out windows with $36,000 in grants
-14 businesses expand outdoor dining with $70,000 in grants
-Created $29,000 funding for outdoor Holiday Marketplace to ensure up to 120 artists and creative makers have an in-person retail platform during the holiday shopping season. The Made In Baltimore shop will be at the center of this marketplace whose network has 70 members (65% Black/women owned.)
Our work at CBP is never focused on one person but rather a collection of partners and individuals working collectively on having a meaningful impact on Central Baltimore. Jack Danna, Director of Commercial Revitalization play an outsize role in coordinating and planning all aspects of our COVID-19 Response for small businesses. Vote in AIA’s Film Challenge below for the opportunity for Station North’s Design for Distancing project to win the People’s Choice Award, a $2,000 cash prize! Make sure to register to vote for our film once per hour. Voting ends by Sunday, October 4th.
More about this video from AIA Baltimore:
”In the context of the current pandemic, many people are seeking opportunities to reconnect with the communal aspects of life, while at the same time local businesses struggle due to lack of clientele. Sponsored by the City of Baltimore, the “Design for Distancing” program asked the question, “How might Baltimore bring its creative community together to help small businesses and neighborhoods adapt their streets, sidewalks and outdoor spaces with social distancing in mind?”
Focused in the community of Station North, this film captures the collaborative efforts of a team of designers, contractors, organizations, and business owners while they explore and implement meaningful ways to reimagine our public places as safe and healthy environments.”
We are proud to be a part of this effort led by Neighborhood Design Center, and The City of Baltimore Development Corporation - BDC, -- in collaboration with our Partners: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (BRNI), Gensler, Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mayson-Dixon Properties & Development, Ornamental Nature: Urban Container Gardening Services & QWRK collective environments, North Ave. Market (Mike Schecter), Sofi's Crepes, Orto, Tapas Teatro, The Charles Theater, SNF Parkway Theatre / Maryland Film Fest, The Crown, Secret Sauce Co. Motor House, Nancy by SNAC, & Nicole Khoury Atkinson.