Black Lives Matter Ground Mural & Black Entrepreneurship on Jamaica Avenue - E-newsletter

Black Lives Matter Ground Mural & Black Entrepreneurship on Jamaica Avenue 
If you haven’t noticed already, a Black Lives Matter ground mural was recently installed on Jamaica Avenue on the portion between the Family Courts and King Manor Museum. Post-installation, our local elected officials, with the significant leadership of Council Member I. Daneek Miller, put on a series of festive and themed events intended to draw attention to the mural and provide necessary—but socially distant—community engagement with the public. Themed days included Gospel, Youth and Community days, each with their own sets of joyful and educational activities. Our BID was pleased to participate in several of these days, where we encouraged attendees to learn more about and support our Jamaica Avenue Business Improvement District merchants, which during these times need our shopping support now more than ever! We handed out flyers showcasing our new website (Jamaica.nyc) and recently opened businesses; gave away reusable Jamaica Avenue shopping totes and asked shoppers to commit to supporting our local economy by signing our “Buy Local” pledge.

This Friday we will return to the same spot from 1-2 p.m. to participate in the City of New York’s launch announcement for its recently-released report Advancing Black Entrepreneurship in NYC. Two of our very own BID Black-owned businesses (Make Me Over Beauty Bar and Henry’s Carrot Cakes) will be present. Please come and support them.

We’re also partnering with King Manor Museum and the Queens Chronicle to ‘Celebrate The Jewels of Jamaica,’ this Friday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. We’ll be at the King Manor Museum front lawn for a socially distant family fun day. Stop by, see us, sign a pledge to shop local on Jamaica Avenue and get a new ‘I Love Jamaica’ shopping bag! 

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The New Jamaica Center BID Website - E- newsletter

The New Jamaica Center BID Website
It’s Here! At long last, we’ve launched our new website, a hub for all things Jamaica Avenue: jamaica.nyc. Use our site to navigate what's happening in the neighborhood, explore all there is to see and do entertainment-wise, access a full directory of businesses on Jamaica Avenue and (if you’re a business owner) learn more about how the BID can help you achieve your goals. Test drive it here!

View the rest of E-newsletter here!

COVID-19 Updates 6/26/20

COVID-19 UPDATES   

Our BID is committed to ensuring that our local business community receives the latest resources necessary to help them weather the current coronavirus situation. We will be updating this page regularly with information we receive from City, State, Federal agencies and other respected economic development and business support institutions. Please bookmark this page and check back often. *Information changes regularly. Please be sure to skim the full page on a periodic basis to ensure you are not missing new information, such as our recently added “reopening” section.* 

Know something we are missing? See something inaccurate? Please email us at  [email protected].    

This page was last updated on 6/26/20. Items subject to change and we cannot guarantee up to the minute updates. It is your responsibility as a business to follow government directives and stay abreast of the news and changing regulations.    

START HERE (Empieza aqui*)     

RE-OPENING GUIDELINES/MODELS/SUPPORT 

Additional Reopening Support 
Our BID has designed several templates you can insert in your window to alert customers of your COVID-19 opening hours, purchasing/ordering procedures and to remind shoppers of social distancing courtesies towards your employeesDownload the packet here.  

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES (Loans, Grants, Capital Raising Platforms)   

City of New York Loans and Grants for Small Businesses     

State Loans  

Federal Government Loans (Small Business Administration Loans)      

On 6/5 The Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act was passed to give businesses more time and flexibility with the use of the PPP loan and forgiveness. This short webinar explains these new changes succinctly.  

Private Grants  

Private Loans 

**For Restaurant-specific Grants/Loans, see restaurant section below.    

Organizations with Business Counselors that Can Help Businesses with Loan/Grant Applications (and more):      

Additional Financial Support for Business (Commercial Rent Relief)     

Financial Support for Businesses (Insurance Relief)     

Per Gov. Cuomo’s announcement 3/27: Small businesses experiencing coronavirus-related financial hardship may defer paying premiums for property and casualty insurance for a 60-day period. This includes auto, homeowners, renters and other kinds of insurance. (No late fees will be assessed and there will be no negative impact to your credit.)     

NY State’s page on understanding Commercial Business Interruption Insurance.     

LOGISTICAL/ADMIN/LEGAL SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES     

WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY  

Below are updated resources to help you and your business stay safe and prevent the spread of germs.      

WORKPLACE CLEANING AND DISINFECTION    

INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC NEWS 

Property Owners/Facilities Management  

Restaurants   

Freelancers     

Freelancers Union has a rolling list of resources and advice for 1099 workers and is regularly updating its membership on efforts to include freelancers in the various relief plans.     

Freelancers/1099 workers are eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program Loan and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans Grants (Advance) and Loans.     

PROMOTIONAL SUPPORT  

Yelp is offering a variety of temporary free resources to businesses, including $100 in free advertising for restaurants offering takeout/delivery as detailed here.    

Our organization, Jamaica Center BID, can help your business pass on important information to our 15,000 social media followers and 2,000 e-newsletter subscribers. If you offer delivery, takeout or curbside pick-up, let us know and we will promote it. If you sell gift cards, let us know and we will encourage our followers to purchase them so that you can have a continued cash flow. If you offer online shopping, facetime shopping or other innovative methods that customers can utilize to keep spending money at your establishment, let us know. Email Trey Jenkins at [email protected] and we will help promote.    

Have an update your business would like to share with the Queens eco-system? Queens Chamber is accepting business updates on its rolling COVID-19 announcement list. Please email your details to [email protected] with the subject line – QUEENS BUSINESS CORONAVIRUS UPDATES.    

NYC +Co, the City of New York’s official tourism body, is gathering and publicizing info on local businesses, cultural organizations and more for citywide promotional purposes. Make sure your business is covered.  Museums, theaters, performing arts organizations can submit a virtual experience for consideration here, Restaurants open for business can get listed here.  

Welcome Back Shoppers! - E-newsletter

Welcome Back Shoppers!
 
With Stage II underway, many of our retail locations and salons/barbershops have reopened, along with the restaurants and essential businesses that were open throughout the entire Coronavirus outbreak. Plantain Werkes (147-21 Jamaica Avenue), Make Me Over Beauty Bar (166-11 Jamaica Avenue), Jackie’s Kids (147-09 Jamaica Avenue), Pretty Women(165-09 Jamaica Avenue), CH Martin (148-22 Jamaica Avenue, Jackpot Savings (148-17 Jamaica Avenue) and many of the food vendors at Jamaica Market...these are just a few of our beloved establishments that are back in biz and ready for you. We’ve been popping into many of these businesses the past few days to check in, and are here to report that the Jamaica Avenue business community is taking your safety seriously with limited occupancy, six-foot spacing reminders, masked employees, special certifications, and more.
 
Now we ask you—the customers—to do your part! Wear a mask when you shop, follow the rules the store or business establishment has thoughtfully put together to protect you and their employees, socially distance from your fellow customers and the staff helping you, and SHOP Jamaica Avenue. Now is not the time to order online from retailers across the country. Keep your dollars in your community—these businesses need your business to make a successful recovery. Need some motivation to adopt a “buy local” mindset.? Tag @jamcenterbid on Instagram with your posts featuring your shopping excursion on Jamaica Avenue and we’ll send you a Jamaica Avenue BID tote!
 
View the rest of our e-newsletter here!

What We’ve Been Up To Lately - E-newsletter

What We’ve Been Up To Lately 
Our BID is now one of NYC’s designated distributors of PPE (masks) for local Southeast Queens businesses. Special thanks to Fred Green, our key point person on the ground who is coordinating delivery to our local business community that needs them, and thanks to our local neighbor The Nourish Spot for their recent note of appreciation. If you are a SE Queens-based business that would like some of these masks (5 masks per employee), please email [email protected] to discuss—pick-ups are by appointment only. Our neighboring economic development organizations, Sutphin Blvd. BIDGateway Jamaica Center BID, and Greater Jamaica Development Corporation are also serving as distribution hubs and can also be directly contacted to coordinate a pick-up. More about this service here.
We’re also nearly done with the redesign of our new website. Our current website, jamaica.nyc has all the necessary info needed to share important information with Jamaica Avenue customers, business owners and property members, but...we admit that as the sands of time have passed, it has become difficult to navigate. Today’s circumstances have shown that its more important than ever to have an effective digital presence to distribute critical information quickly. We look forward to revealing a fresh, new and easy-to-navigate website by early July!
Our Executive Director Jennifer Furioli also recently appeared on Council Member Lancman’s virtual town hall on “Phase 1 Reopening: Everything You Need to Know with panelists from the Governor's Office, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, Jamaica Muslim Center (Official), First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, NY and Vaad Harabonim of Queens. We thank the Council Member and the fellow guests for the opportunity to discuss the next steps in safely reopening our community.
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Latest Neighborhood News and Important Business Info Inside - E-newsletter

*Businesses: last week was a big week for business news. Please be sure to scroll to the business section in the middle of this e-newsletter for the latest updates.*

What We’ve Been Up To Lately 
Although we’re following the official directive to work from home, our BID has been busy remotely working for our Jamaica Avenue business district, merchants and customers. Here's just a handful of things we’ve been up to lately:

View the rest of our E-newsletter here!

Essential Stores and Eateries Open on Jamaica Avenue

A number of our essential stores are open on Jamaica Avenue along with eateries that are offering delivery and takeout options. Please
take a look at the below document we have compiled. We will continue to update this document as circumstances change. Please make an effort to keep these businesses open and their staff employed by supporting them.

Visit here to download the list.

More Business Grants, Plantain Werks Reopens, and a Hometown Hero! - E-newsletter

Weekly Business Grants and Loan Updates - Business PPP is Back!
After funds were extinguished from the first round, the federal Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program “PPP” reopened this week. You can access more information about the PPP from the Small Business Administration here.
One of the common complaints about the initial PPP funding round was that many small businesses were not able to access the funds through traditional lending methods. The current round of PPP is designed to help solve this problem by allocating some funds to be distributed through Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFI’s, in addition to regular banks. What is a CDFI? CDFI’s are organizations that ensure that under-represented communities get a fair chance at accessing loans. The good news is that Jamaica, Queens qualifies as the type of neighborhood where businesses can receive loans from a CDFI. The nationwide nonprofit National Development Council (NDC), is a CDFI that has stated its preference for PPP applications coming from low and moderate income districts (LMI’s), of which Jamaica is one. Consider reaching out to NDC here.
Also, just a reminder that applications for the second round of grant funding from the national nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation “LISC” Rapid Relief Resiliency Fund closes today. Apply here. (This is a grant program that opens and closes regularly—be sure you don’t miss the next application opening. Sign up for email updates from LISC to be notified of the next round.)
View the rest of our E-newsletter here!

How About Some Good News? - E-newsletter

How About Some Good News?
We thought you may enjoy a little good news today. Here are some positive things happening on Jamaica Avenue that are making us smile:

View the rest of our E-newsletter here!

COVID-19 Updates - 4/23/20

COVID-19 UPDATES 

Our BID is committed to ensuring that our local business community receives the latest resources necessary to help them weather the current coronavirus situation. We will be updating this page regularly with information we receive from City, State, Federal agencies and other respected economic development and business support institutions. Please bookmark this page and check back often.   

Know something we are missing? See something inaccurate? Please email us at  [email protected]. 

This page was last updated on 4/23/20. Items subject to change and we cannot guarantee up to the minute updates. It is your responsibility as a business to follow government directives and stay abreast of the news and changing regulation. 

Start Here (Empieza aqui*)  

Financial Support for Businesses (Loans, Grants, Capital Raising Platforms)

City of New York Loans and Grants for Small Businesses  

To help businesses affected by COVID-19, the City of New York launched employee retention grants as well as a Small Business Continuity Loan Fund in March. Both of these programs have closed.  We will update if either of these vehicles reopen. 

Federal Government Loans (Small Business Administration Loans)   

Private Grants  

For Restaurant-specific Grants/Loans, see restaurant section below. 

Organizations with Business Counselors that Can Help Businesses with Loan/Grant Applications (and more):   

Financial Support for Business (Utility Support) 

Financial Support for Business (Business Tax Support)  

Financial Support for Business (Commercial Rent Relief)  

Financial Support for Businesses (Insurance Relief)  

Per Gov. Cuomo’s announcement 3/27: Small businesses experiencing coronavirus-related financial hardship may defer paying premiums for property and casualty insurance for a 60-day period. This includes auto, homeowners, renters and other kinds of insurance. (No late fees will be assessed and there will be no negative impact to your credit.)  

NY State’spage on understanding Commercial Business Interruption Insurance 

Logistical/Admin Support for Businesses  

Workplace Health and Safety

Below are updated resources to help you and your business stay safe and prevent the spread of germs.   

Business Closures & Employee Reductions/Layoffs  

Resources to Provide Laid Off Employees  

Workplace Cleaning and Sanitation  

Industry-Specific News (Restaurants)

Industry Specific News (Other) 

NYC EDC (Economic Development Corporation) is seeking businesses with the ability to quickly source and/or make needed medical supplies (e.g. face shields, gowns, ventilators, masks, and other products as needed) to support the City’s COVID-19 response. Please visit here for more information. 

Industry Specific News (Freelancers)  

Freelancers Union has a rolling list of resources and advice for 1099 workers and is regularly updating its membership on efforts to include freelancers in the various relief plans.  

Freelancers/1099 workers are eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program Loan and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans Grants (Advance) and Loans.  

Promotional Support  

Yelp is offering a variety of temporary free resources to businesses, including $100 in free advertising for restaurants offering takeout/delivery as detailed here. 

Our organization can help your business pass on important information to our 15,000 social media followers and 2,000 e-newsletter subscribers. If you offer delivery, takeout or curbside pick-up, let us know and we will promote it. If you sell gift cards, let us know and we will encourage our followers to purchase them so that you can have a continued cash flow. If you offer online shopping, facetime shopping or other innovative methods that customers can utilize to keep spending money at your establishment, let us know. Email Trey Jenkins at [email protected] and we will help promote. 

Have an update your business would like to share with the Queens eco-system? Queens Chamber is accepting business updates on its rolling COVID-19 announcement listPlease email your details to [email protected] with the subject line – QUEENS BUSINESS CORONAVIRUS UPDATES. 

NYC +Co, the City of New York’s official tourism body, is gathering and publicizing info on local businesses, cultural organizations and more for citywide promotional purposes. Make sure your business is covered.  Museums, theaters, performing arts organizations can submit a virtual experience for consideration here, Restaurants open for business can get listed here and business providing online purchases and gift card sales here. 

COVID-19 Updates - 4/13/20

A Friendly Reminder from the Jamaica Center BID - E-newsletter

Friendly Reminder
For now, our emails are structured with business information on top, and general community information below. This week be sure to check out our new listing of grants available for businesses (first article) and new ideas to pass the time and be your best self while sheltered in place at home (fourth article).
We want to add some joy to your day, so send us a pic and some inspirational words to share with your fellow Jamaica neighbors via our social media and we’ll ship the first three respondents an “I Love Jamaica Ave” coffee mug (as soon as it is safe for us to return to our office).
View the rest of our E-newsletter here!
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