Photos credit: Kenya L. Smith
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim kicked off on May 2, 2022, a grand celebration of National Small Business Week with five days of events planned in all five boroughs.
The events will raise awareness of the many resources and services SBS offers to small businesses, encourage New Yorkers to shop local, and celebrate small businesses that are at the heart of the city’s economic recovery and growth. The week-long celebration will also recognize the city’s ethnically diverse neighborhoods and immigrant-owned businesses.
Mayor Adams also today signed Executive Order 15 that establishes a Small Business Advisory Commission, a key commitment in the “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent, A Blueprint for New York City Economic Recovery.” The commission, which is comprised of small business leaders throughout the five boroughs, will be tasked with helping the city cut red tape, improving business services and programming, and promoting an equitable, broad-based recovery.
The celebration in each borough will feature neighborhood-specific themes and entertainment, starting with a speaking program, giveaways, and a resource fair where small businesses will learn about SBS services, including business mentorship and financial and legal assistance, as well as give businesses the opportunity to meet with representatives from a variety of city agencies in addition to community partners. Based on the specific neighborhood, materials will be available in a variety of languages including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Haitian Creole, and Bengali.
The SBS Mobile Unit will also be present at each location with SBS staff providing one-on-one access to services for small businesses and residents looking for employment. The Mobile Unit provides direct services to New Yorkers in their communities, with a range of services including connection to business technical support, workforce training opportunities, job matching, benefits screenings, and more in tandem with agency partners. These services are an adjunct to the same services provided by SBS’s 7 NYC Business Solutions Centers and 18 Workforce1 Career Centers located throughout the five boroughs.
Throughout the week, SBS will be promoting its Shop Your City campaign, which encourages New Yorkers to support local small businesses. An updated version of the Shop Your City website includes a calendar of upcoming events, as well as maps and lists of small businesses grouped by location and owner demographic to help residents and visitors discover small businesses to support in New York City. As part of the campaign, SBS is running digital and print ads in community and ethnic media throughout May and June to increase awareness across the city’s diverse communities.
Schedule of Events for National Small Business Week:
Monday, May 2nd: Kick-off celebration at Marcy Plaza in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM – Speaking program and partners:
Bridge Street Development Corporation
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Bed-Stuy Gateway BID
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Resource fair
Tuesday, May 3rd: Celebrating with the Staten Island FerryHawks and Sri Lankan Dance Academy of NY at Staten Island Borough Hall in St. George
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Speaking program and partners:
Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Resource fair
Wednesday, May 4th: Celebrating Small Business Week and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month with partners featuring cultural performances of Chinese ribbon dancers and puppet theatre at Chinatown’s Chatham Square in Lower Manhattan
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Speaking program and partners:
Chinatown BID
Welcome to Chinatown
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Resource fair
Thursday, May 5th: Cinco de Mayo celebration with mariachi band El Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino at the Manuel de Dios Unanue Triangle in Jackson Heights
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Speaking program and partners:
82nd Street Partnership
Queens Chamber of Commerce
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Resource fair
Friday, May 6th: Celebrating Bronx Week with Eid music and festivities at the Triangle on Rhinelander and White Plains Road in the Bronx
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Speaking program and partners:
Yemeni American Merchants Association
Morris Park BID
Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation
Bronx Chamber of Commerce
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Resource fair
Related Images:
