Orange County Small Business Grants Allow for Adaptation in a Changing Economy
By the time Ben Cranson had his store up and running, COVID-19 was just starting to shut everything down.
The retail manager at Wanderer’s Outpost, Ben had been in business for a little less than a year when the pandemic regulations closed his store in Huntington Beach.
“We thought tourism was going to take a pretty big hit, so we just decided to pack up and move it out,” he said.
Small businesses have taken the brunt of economic hardship during COVID-19 shutdowns, but small businesses that are new – like Ben’s – have arguably had it the hardest.
For businesses grappling with an economy laid bare by the coronavirus, LISC recognizes what a difference private grants can make. Thanks to generous contributions by Wells Fargo, LISC LA has been able to give back to these new small businesses as they enter the next stages of reopening in Orange County.
These grants are part of LISC LA’s Keeping Shops on the Block program – which, since its inception, has invested nearly $150,000 in small businesses across Los Angeles County and Orange County, in addition to creating a small businesses toolkit with training, support, and resources. By the end of LISC’s distribution process, 40 businesses will have received grants, 250 businesses will have received training, and our communities will have become stronger in the process.
Brandon Lewis, the owner of Cherry Hills Market – one of the ten black-owned businesses to be supported by the program– said his grant from LISC will help him restock his store and bring in new product to a recently reopened physical location.
“The money is also going to help me with finding a staff member because as the owner, I’ve been the only one since the beginning of June working every day,” Brandon said.
Making memories in the CherryHills Market Artisan Kitchen.
Of course, LISC recognizes that small businesses are doing all they can with the grants they have, and that providing equitable economic relief comes down to local and federal governments. That’s why, in tandem with our individual aid, we’ve provided local governments with a toolkit on the steps they can take to ease small businesses’ financial burdens. Read more about our toolkit here.
At LISC LA, we understand that accessible funding can make a real difference – but federal funding is often difficult to receive for newer businesses.
“We filed the first day, we filed at 6 o’clock in the morning,” said Ben of Wanderer’s Outpost. “We’re a tiny company so we weren’t even looking for that much help – and it still took us three months to make it through that whole process.”
Emma Kloppenburg, a Program Officer at LISC LA, said there are certain barriers such as a business's age or their connections with bank lenders that can make federal lending options difficult.
At LISC LA, we look to bridge those gaps between funding. With generous contributions from Wells Fargo, our training sessions, grants, and toolkits for local governments have helped small businesses in Orange County and beyond to access the capital they need right now, and practice the new approach to business that they will need in the months to come. We aren’t just about surviving this pandemic – we want our partners to thrive.
“I would really love to see growth,” said Brandon, the owner of Cherry Hills Market. “I think after quarantine, and people being trapped inside their homes, this will be a social need – and the fact that we do (cooking) classes is something that sets us apart, and something that I think will help us take things to the next level.”
For more information about our Keeping Shops on the Block program, visit us here.
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9.29.2020
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LISC StoriesEconomic Development
