Back Bay and South End Businesses Receive Grants from City’s Small Business Relief Fund

More than 40 Back Bay businesses and 36 South End businesses are among the recipients of the initial round of funding from the city’s Small Business Relief Fund.

Aiyara Thai Massage & Wellness; Aluna Salon SPA, LLC, Arden Gallery Ltd.; Bacco’s Wine & Cheese; Back Bay Acupuncture + Chinese Herbal Medicine; Bare Bones Yoga; Boston Medical; Carrig Kitchens, LLC; Castanet, Chaba Florist; Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe; Copley Acupuncture; Cryomed Boston; David Binder Photography; Diamond Chiropractic, George Horemiotis; Gilded Studio Pilates, Pole, And Dance; Iterate Labs, Inc.; JSD Studio; Maria Karalexis Hair Stylist; Maria’s Taqueria ; Melman Chiropractic  Group; Micro Scalp Pigmentation Inc.; Mike & Patty’s; Mondi’s Brow Studio;; Movement Over Everything; My Destination Pilates LLC; Ocean Time; Parker Cote Elite Fitness; Parkside Dental Care; Patella & Palmito Corporation; Patron Films; Paul and Susan Buta; Peter Pavlina; Scire Massage Therapy, LLC; Seed Acupuncture; The Body Shop; The Collier Connection; The Newbury Center; Wright Performance; and Zenith Health Works were among 561 businesses to receive $2 million in funding through the program.

Recipients from the South End include Anita Kurl Salon; Arrow Event Management, LLC; Ash & Rose; Blunch; Boston Sculptors Gallery; Bre Welch Makeup and Hair; Cafe Quattro; Ceatro Group, LLC; Cha Cha Cha Hairdoos; Claire Carino Contemporary; Cuppacoffee; DBA Around the Corner; Dia Moeller Tattoo Inc.; Endurance Pilates and Yoga LLC; Eye Adore Threading; Fountain Street Fine Art LLC; Heather Buechler Art; Hidden Jewel of the South End; InFusion Art Glass; Kinda Touma Fashion LLC; lauren passenti jewelry; Mazon Lighting Design; Mike’s City Diner; My Nail Salon; NCC Restaurant Group (d.b.a. New Market Pizza); New England Audio Renta;l Niche Plant Shop; Perspective Photo; Pictex Corporation; Revive Hair Studio, LLC; Skip’s Barbershop, LLC; Stitch and Tickle; Upton DCM; Vibrant Beauty Salon; and Wendy Rapoza at Revive Hair Studio.

“The Small Business Relief Fund grants are critical to help struggling small businesses across the city address challenges brought on by COVID-19,” Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement. “These businesses are the backbone of our economy, and the lifeblood of our communities. I’m proud we are able to assist them during this time, and am grateful to our partners who have stepped up in a big way to support Boston’s neighborhood business community.”  

Moreover, 58 percent of the businesses receiving grants through the program are owned by people of color while 48 and 44 percent are owned by women immigrants, respectively. And 95 percent went to businesses with 15 or fewer employees. The top 10 zip codes with the most recipients were East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Brighton, South End, Dorchester, Roslindale and Roxbury.

An additional $5.5 million in funding is being added to fully fund all eligible grant requests submitted during the application process, which combines newly available federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development; as well as commitments from Citizens Bank and Eastern Bank, according to Mayor Walsh’s office. 

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