Dear Neighbor –
Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. Taking the time to check out a promising new restaurant, café, barbershop, or tailor supports our City’s budding entrepreneurs, helps our local economy and expands our horizons. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our small business community has experienced some tough times.
But I am inspired by the creativity and resiliency of our local businesses, and their ability to adapt and creatively shift their business models to serve Providence residents.
Here in Providence, we want to support innovation by making it as easy as possible to do business safely and creatively by investing in our artists and entrepreneurs, strengthening our workforce, and encouraging residents and visitors to experience our world-class small businesses, restaurants, and galleries.
National Small Business Week is September 12-18, 2021, and we are celebrating by visiting some of the best our City has to offer. From enjoying a history lesson about fountain sodas at Green Line Apothecary, to new beginnings at the ribbon cutting for Blaze Smith Hill and learning about curated suits at Copa Menswear, our team has seen so many amazing products and services that Providence businesses provide. Despite the unprecedented struggles of doing business amidst a pandemic, our small business community has shown great strength, and we are thankful to have such a diverse community of entrepreneurs making a difference in our City neighborhoods, day in and day out.
Please join me in supporting the creativity and resiliency of our small business community, this week and every week. Shopping and dining locally are some of the best ways to ensure a healthy local economy, promote business diversity, and build upon the vibrancy of this remarkable City we call home.
If you are a current or aspiring business owner, we have resources available to you. In response to the impacts of COVID-19 on the Providence small business community, the
(PBLF) has made temporary modifications to the Fund to provide access to capital for eligible small businesses and immediate relief for existing borrowers with flexible interest rates up to a maximum of 5%.
In addition to their standard loan program, they are offering Emergency Loans of $10,000 to $100,000, payable over 5-7 years with zero interest and no payments for 6 months to assist Providence Businesses affected by COVID-19.
Whenever possible, I hope you will #ThinkPVD by shopping locally and supporting our small business community. Every dollar spent at a small business is a dollar reinvested in our community!
Sincerely,
Jorge O. Elorza