HYANNIS – The Local Business Boost Program has wrapped up its first round of assisting Hyannis Main Street retailers, restaurants and services make upgrades to their locations and expand their online presence.
Love Live Local helped manage the program, and CEO Amanda Converse said that initiatives like it are greatly in need region-wide as the local economy still wrestles with the impacts of COVID-19, workforce shortages, and supply chain issues.
“It gives them the freedom to try things that they didn’t necessarily have the funds for or they were skeptical about. Or they knew they needed to try it but they didn’t necessarily have the funds right then,” said Converse.
Some of the improvements made with the $36,000 total invested in seven businesses were a reinvigorated outdoor dining area, upgrades to a dressing room and new websites. Most of the grants were around $5,000 each.
Converse said they hope to get the attention of state and federal lawmakers to obtain more funding to expand the program’s scope Cape-wide.
“Through the pandemic and through this process, we found that when we invest in our local businesses, it just levels them up. It benefits the community as a whole and it benefits municipalities,” said Converse.
“It doesn’t just stop with one business.”
Applications for the next round are open to Hyannis Main Street businesses until February 10 at 5pm. Applications can be filled out online here.
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