RALEIGH, N.C. — The pandemic has created plenty of challenges for small businesses, but the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) has a financial resource, known as the Storefront Upfit Grant, to help them thrive.
What You Need To Know
The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has a program known as the Storefront Upfit Grant
The grant can help with costs like electrical work, HVAC, design costs and even furniture
The owner of Anne’s Apothecary says the grant helped her take the risk of opening a brick and mortar store
The current grant window closes on Oct. 15, but there are other opportunities in the future
The program basically reimburses small business owners who open up a location in downtown Raleigh. Anne’s Apothecary is one of the businesses that received a grant and the owner, Anne Suinner-Lawoyin, says she likely wouldn’t have taken this leap if it weren’t for the financial help.
Anne’s Apothecary is still getting settled in.
“My name is on the product. I never thought that would be. I still can’t really put it together,” Suinner-Lawoyin said. “COVID really kind of opened your eyes to see what was missing, what could be possible. And for me, what could be possible was I could be in my own retail space and offer my products and even more.”
NEW TONIGHT: Anne’s Apothecary is one of the businesses to receive a Storefront Upfit Grant from @DowntownRaleigh. Anne Suinner-Lawoyin says she likely wouldn’t have taken the risk of opening a retail location if it wasn’t for the financial support. Full story on @SpecNews1RDU pic.twitter.com/Zwiiwps8G5
— Kyleigh Panetta (@KyleighPanetta) October 7, 2021
Suinner-Lawoyin started making clean beauty products after her mom received a life-changing diagnosis.
“I was graduating from nursing school, and my mother came for graduation, and she got diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. As someone who has never been sick most of her life and is not a smoker, it was a big shock to everyone,” Suinner-Lawoyin said.
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Source: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2021/10/07/anne-s-apothecary
