EDC, BAMA partner to support merchants
Nine local businesses in the north end of Mitchell County were recently awarded grants through the Mitchell County Economic Development Commission and the Bakersville Area Merchants Association.
These grants mark the second year of the BAMA small businesses grant by the Mitchell County Economic Development Commission, which started last year. In the entrepreneurship and business creation world the acronym, CARE (Creation, Attraction, Retention, Expansion) sums up how important small business is to economic development.
Several of the grantees reside throughout the seven townships in the Bakersville Area Merchants’ Association region. They are Hopson’s General Store in Buladean ($500 for exterior entrance roof), Griffith’s Store in Tipton Hill ($500 for exterior entrance awning) and Loafers Glory Rafting and Tubing, which submitted a grant that will indirectly support the entire county ($400 for application to register National River Rafting Day as June 21, the first day of summer).
Cost Home Inspections, a new business from the Harrell Hill Community was awarded $400 for marketing materials and rack cards. Lee’s Country Cafe of Bakersville got $400 to create a gravel parking area between the Bakersville Fire Department and the Cafe.
Two additional awards of $200 each will be used by The Little Half Acre on Cane Creek and NC Outdoor Adventures in Red Hill to produce marketing and rack cards for their respective businesses.
In a partnership, two businesses in Bakersville partnered to submit grants to purchase the back cover of the Spring Toe River Arts Tour. MICA Gallery was awarded $500 and In Tandem Gallery was awarded $250. This promotion will provide opportunities for other businesses in the area.
The investments small businesses make in the community bring a wide variety of retail, lifestyle businesses, consumer services, outdoor recreational and other related community businesses. These investments will help contribute to increased tourism, tax base, enhanced property values, additional sales, as well as the ability to retain and create jobs.
Also, BAMA’s planned effort to improve physical economic and social conditions of the community will continue to be a reinvestment for Mitchell County
“The 2023 applicants submitted outstanding grants that will help raise the image of their businesses, tell their story through new marketing pieces and partner for advertising in an event brochure,” said Sharon Runion Rowland, grant coordinator. “The grantees embody the purpose of the Area Merchants’ Association in supporting all townships in northern Mitchell County.
For more details on how to apply for the small business grant program contact Rowland at 919-819-7030 or sharonrrowland@gmail.com.
Mitchell County Economic Development Commission Director Matt Ward said the grants showcase what’s most exciting about small businesses in the area.
“Small businesses make up a large part of our livelihoods and whenever a private investment is made a higher quality of life is instilled,” he said. “This higher quality of life helps sustain a business and the jobs they provide thus in turn building up the image of our community and expanding our tax base.”