Grant looks to bring business to downtown Greensboro

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Downtown Greensboro Incorporated has a newly launched grant program that aims to help small businesses.

The goal of the grant is to further improve the economy downtown.

DGI is giving small businesses in downtown Greensboro a chance to apply for a grant of up to $2,500 to improve services, expand commercial opportunities and enhance their storefronts.

“I kept getting emails about it … Hopefully, I’ll actually get it,” said LaTonya Lewis-Tunsil, Shear Passion Hair Studio owner.

Latonya Lewis-Tunsil owns Shear Passion Hair Studio on West Market Street in downtown Greensboro. Her salon has been open in that location for eight years.

She believes DGI’s new Vibrancy Grant would be a great resource for businesses like hers downtown.

“We’re more on the outskirts of downtown, so the fact that they consider us downtown is a beautiful thing,” Lewis-Tunsil said.

For businesses to qualify for the grant, they have to have less than 50 employees and sit in downtown Greensboro’s Business Improvement District.

“That looks like in a street-by-street kind of basis. It goes all the way from Gate City, all the way up to Fisher Avenue from a north-south basis in terms of east to west. It goes from Murrow all the way over to Smith Street,” DGI Economic Development Analyst Joseph Schorr said.

DGI will give the money to owners to invest in their businesses, aiming to further grow the downtown economy.

“This means anything from small renovations to investing in a new post system and even digital advertising and marketing. Basically, just about everything is covered under this grant. The only real things ineligible would be stuff that won’t really enhance the growth. So think of stuff such as rent, payroll, utilities. Those are not covered,” Schorr said.

Lewis-Tunsil said if she got the grant money, she would use it to help enhance her storefront.

The grant application period opened on Sept. 9 and will close on Oct. 11. DGI has more information on how you can apply on their website.

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