(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins today announced the third round of awards for the H Street NE Retail Priority Grant Program. The grants are meant to stimulate small-business development and expansion while also creating new job opportunities for District residents along the emerging H Street NE retail-and-entertainment corridor and the surrounding area.
“Congratulations to each of today’s third-round awardees,” said Mayor Gray. “These grants are crucial not only to this neighborhood’s growing vitality, but also to my continuing efforts to grow the District’s economy and put our residents back to work. The awards you’re receiving today will allow many of you to continue to be pillars of this emerging retail community and to expand operations, streamline costs and create new job opportunities for longtime residents and new arrivals alike.”
Today’s awardees include:
• Barracks Row Main Street, located at 731 8th Street SE: a non-profit charged with advocating for commercial enterprises along the corridor and servicing those enterprises through case work, publications and other tools will use its $27,390 grant for increased technical assistance to business owners who might not otherwise be able to improve their buildings and operations through the redevelopment of interior and exterior spaces.
• The Daily Rider, LLC, located at 1108 H Street NE: a full-service bicycle shop that offers a full range of bicycle repair and customization services will use its $85,000 grant for improvements to its façade, interior and rear exterior space. Improvements to the building’s rear will allow the company to host biking-related classes and events to better serve its customers and the surrounding community.
• Dynamic Health & Wellness, located at 402 H Street NE: a unique health-focused store that primarily offers natural nutritional pre-packaged food products, herbal products and tea products will use its $13,850 grant to perform long-needed building upgrades to bring the business up to par with its neighbors in its revitalized block.
• Hunted House, located at 510 H Street NE: a new business to the H street corridor, it offers quality pieces of mid-century modern furniture, art and accessories at affordable prices. Its $5,000 grant will be used to cover the cost of exterior upgrades, including signage, as well as the purchase of needed retail equipment.
• Koffee Boutique, located at 1204 H Street NE: a new clothing boutique catering to women is owned by a District native and will use its $85,000 grant to renovate the space and purchase equipment.
• Metro Mutts, located at 508 H Street NE: a pet store that specializes in top-quality pet supplies and services for passionate pet owners and their dogs, cats and small animals. It will use its $51,795 grant to maximize its existing space in order to increase sales and lower operating costs.
• Passion for Fitness, located at 408 H Street NE: a sports-and-fitness location that opened in 2007 with a mission to provide one-to-one fitness training for local residents and professionals, it will use its $42,000 grant for interior build-out.
“Locally owned businesses and non-profit corridor improvement associations are the lifeblood of this city,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “The District looks forward to providing technical assistance and working in other ways with small business owners to keep their businesses viable in the expanding retail market for years to come.”
The grant program was created by the H Street NE Retail Priority Area Incentive Act of 2010. The program’s three phases were administered by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. First-round awards were announced on January 10, 2012. Second-round awards were announced on May 4, 2012. Third-round awardees were selected out of a pool of 16 applicants who submitted applications for the grants by the June 22, 2012 deadline.
Additional H Street Retail Priority Area grant funds have been made available in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget, and an information session will be held at the H Street Playhouse, located at 1365 H Street NE, on November 7, 2012 at 6:45 p.m. More information about the grant program can be found here: H Street NE Retail Priority Area Project Grant.
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