WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday $7 million in investments in 41 small and local businesses as part of the Great Streets Retail Grant program.
The event was held at the DC Arts Center, which was a 2023 Great Streets grant recipient, and featured eight different “DC Makers” that are producing and selling their local products in the District.
The Great Streets program funds support renovations, equipment purchases, interior design and infrastructure improvements for small, independently owned brick-and-mortar businesses and art-based nonprofits in Great Streets corridors.
“As another local business owner said last week, ‘these are the businesses that make us so D.C.,’” Bowser said. “With every grant awarded, we’re fueling innovation, creating opportunities, and building stronger communities across all eight wards. These investments don’t just help businesses thrive—they uplift our neighborhoods, create jobs, and ensure that DC continues to be a city where creativity and entrepreneurship flourish.”
Businesses taking part in the DC Makers showcase included:
- Arcay Chocolates: family-owned chocolate shop with locations in Georgetown and Union Market (Great Streets Retail, Small Medium Business Growth Fund)
- Blue’s Coffee & Tea Co: Black-owned, family-owned specialty coffee and tea company founded and operated in DC (Locally Made Manufacturing, Great Streets Retail)
- Chef Benne’ Seasonings: a local manufacturer producing a line of low sodium seasonings to empower people to lead healthy diets (Locally Made Manufacturing, Great Streets Retail)
- EatsPlace: EatsPlace, also known as Baba’s Cooking School, is a cannery that also serves as a marketplace and a shared community commercial kitchen (Locally Made Manufacturing)
- Femme Fatale: a Black, queer, and women-owned retail and event space in Cleveland Park featuring the products of DC women makers (Locally Made Manufacturing, Commercial Property Acquisition Fund)
- iCONiQ Style: The Style Studio, headquartered in DC, is a creative services showroom offering a full-service fashion and creative experience that includes fashion design, manufacturing, and retail merchandising (Locally Made Manufacturing)
- Lost Generation Brewery: Lost Generation Brewing Company is a brewery in the Eckington neighborhood offering up to 16 taps (Locally Made Manufacturing)
- Right Proper Brewing: Right Proper Brewing is a DC brewery known for its diverse, ever-changing selection of craft brews (Locally Made Manufacturing)
- Shea Yeleen Beauty: The Yeleen Beauty Makerspace is a co-manufacturing facility and tech hub in DC built to lower the barriers to market entry for plant-based BIPOC beauty entrepreneurs (Locally Made Manufacturing)
The Great Streets Retail, Locally Made Manufacturing, and Neighborhood Prosperity Fund grant programs have awarded more than $49 million to more than 550 businesses across the D.C.
“When we invest in our small and local businesses, we are in turn supporting vibrant and thriving neighborhoods,” said Deputy Mayor Nina Albert. “Through Mayor Bowser’s investments, we will continue to foster an inclusive business environment where opportunity thrives in every ward of our city.”
