August 2021 | Vol. 18 Iss. 08
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HOLLADAY GRANT PROGRAM BOLSTERS SMALL BUSINESS By Zak Sonntag | z.sonntag@mycityjournals.com
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mall business revenue in Utah has decreased by 34% since January 2020, when the coronavirus first began its menace in America, according to data from Opportunity Insights, an economic research thinktank. In the city of Holladay, many small businesses owners have felt this drop profoundly, because unlike large companies and corporate entities, mom-and-pop style businesses lack the capital to weather big downturns and face the real threat of going belly up. Of course, businesses come and go, but local closures are often replaced by chain companies, and in a city like Holladay, where local institutions bestow a special sense of place, a shuttered business can feel like a personal loss for proprietors and patrons alike. “When you look at the shops in our city it’s clear they each offer their own character. It’s a beautiful thing, and it brings a unique charm and value to our community,” said Arianna Mevs, owner of the local Dance Box Studio. Vying to maintain that charm and stave off closures, the city’s leaders created the Small Business Grant program, which got $214,000 to local businesses throughout Holladay. “This is our way to acknowledge the pain you’ve undergone and also a way to help our businesses transition through the pandemic,” said Mayor Robert Dahle during a March conference with local owners. The program offered Holladay companies up to $5,000 reimbursement payments for investments in “marketing and
A new awning paid for with help from a grant program helps market and drive foot traffic to All the Raige Dog Salon. (Courtesy All the Raige Dog Salon)
long-term technological improvements.” The program was hatched partly in response to a pair of citywide business surveys, conducted in 2020 and 2021, which revealed that pandemic recession had thrown many local companies against the ropes. The surveys indicated that certain sectors were being hit especially hard—like retail, service, and restau-
rant industries—and showed that most operations were struggling to adjust to the new consumer paradigms of a lockdown environment. “Like so many other businesses in the city, we were having trouble weathering the storm. The grant was a huge help and the timing was critContinued page 21
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