A robust retail sector is critical to maintaining the vibrancy of any town or city's neighborhoods, and to further help our local and small businesses grow and thrive, DSLBD established the Robust Retail Grant Program in 2019 to assist businesses citywide and within in our Main Streets. The grant program was designed to help retail businesses with the challenges of adapting their business model to meet changing customer demand.
Since the launch of the broader Robust Retail Grant Program in 2019, DSLBD has awarded more than $1.7 million to nearly 200 different retail establishments in Washington, D.C., which includes the distribution of both the Citywide and Main Street Grant funds.
In March 2020, amidst the COVID-19 health crisis, DSLBD reviewed, awarded and distributed nearly $800,000 in grant funds to 106 small business owners across the District, completing this crucial work and getting money into grantees’ bank accounts faster than anyone expected. Through timely changes that DSLBD made to the program to meet small business’ most critical needs at the onset of the crisis, funds distributed to the Robust Retail grantees allowed the business owners to immediately benefit from the funding, giving them access to capital they could flexibly use to support their business operations as the health crisis continued to grow.
Historically, the Robust Retail Grants have given local business owners a chance to improve their storefronts or invest in much-needed equipment or technology needs to support pivots in a challenging retail environment. Through these grant funds, businesses have been given a leg up when it came time to pay rent, submit payroll, or have something fixed or installed.
2020 Robust Retail Citywide Grantees:
- 7 Days Market
- 77 Market
- 10th Street Market
- Amen Coffee and Juice
- Another Level Fresh DC
- ANXO Cidery & Pintxos Bar
- Avanti Real Estate Services
- Bambini Play & Learn Day Care Center, LLC
- BBQ Bus Smokehouse
- Ben’s Next Door
- Café Georgetown
- Capitol Cider House
- Center Stage Hair on H
- Chaia Tacos - Mt. Vernon
- City Dogs
- Columbia Market
- Compass Coffee
- Creative Grounds DC
- CrossFit DC
- Culture Coffee Too
- Dangerously Delicious Pies
- Danikil
- DC Brau Brewing
- DC Mobile Sharpening
- DCity Smokehouse
- Dent Place Market
- District Dogs Inc.
- Dollar Plus
- Don Jaime Restaurant
- Dunn Lewis
- Dynamic Wellness
- E Market & Restaurant
- Each Peach Market
- East City Books
- Exiles Bar
- Falafelshop Inc
- Femme Fatale DC
- Fia's Fabulous Finds
- Finding Indigo
- Fit Physique
- Fitness Snob Studio
- Georgetown Frame Shoppe
- Georgetown Piano Bar
- Global Print Master
- Good Food Markets
- Grand Central
- Hera Hub DC
- Ice Cream Jubilee
- Illusions of Georgetown
- Indique
- Jacob’s Coffee House
- Jade Fitness
- Jake's Tavern
- JRINK
- Karat Cakery
- La Jolie Bleue Bakery and Cafe
- Little Wild Things City Farm
- Love and Care Child Development Center Inc.
- Marcella Kriebel Art + Illustration
- Meats & Foods
- Mikko Nordic Fine Foods
- Miss Pixies
- The UPS Store
- Moreland's Tavern
- Noah One Grooming
- Park Place
- Park Story
- Pillar & Post
- Pretty Chic
- Proper Topper Inc.
- Queen’s English
- Rafael Grocery Deli
- Republic Cantina
- Rewild
- Rosemarina D’Italia
- Salt and Sundry
- She Loves Me Not
- Sheba Cafe
- Skin Beauty Bar
- Slipstream
- Soulex
- Spacycloud
- Sport Clips Haircuts
- Starlight Food Shop
- Sticky Fingers Bakery Bistro
- Studio Chique
- Supreme Core Cider
- Surprise Grocery
- Susan Calloway Antique Prints & Custom Framing Inc.
- Tenleytown Hardware
- The Big Bad Woof
- The Family Laundromat
- The Fresh Food Factory Market
- The Lane
- The Lovely Lady Boutique
- The Pub and the People
- The Spice Suite
- Therapeutic Sessions INC
- Tribute Collective
- Truxton Inn
- Two Birds
- Uncle Chip’s Cookie
- Uptown Market
- Wanda's on 7th
- Wired Cycling
- Yoga District LLC