A grant program is providing cash to local businesses to help with expenses — and offering one day of discounts to those businesses this weekend.
The “Love Local” relief program is giving $100,000 to more than 30 Crystal City and Pentagon City retail shops, salons, and restaurants. The grants are to provide “financial and promotional support covering wages and operator-related expenses.”
The program is a partnership between the National Landing Business Improvement District and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.
Each business is receiving the same grant amount, a spokesperson said, which works out to about $3,000 apiece.
“As National Landing continues to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, Love Local grants will help our local businesses continue to support their employees while providing our neighbors with important services,” National Landing BID Executive Director Tracy Sayegh Gabriel said in a press release. “We are proud to be a part of this critical initiative and look forward to supporting our local businesses and seeing them thrive.”
The criteria for a business to be selected for the grant money included having a brick and mortar location within the BID’s borders and being open for at least a year.
Additionally, all grant recipients are being asked to participate in this weekend’s “Love Local Day.”
On Saturday, the businesses will be offering exclusive one-day discounts and promotions — from free engraving at Ship’s Hatch to 20% off high-end watches at Real Jewelers to 10-15% discounts at local restaurants like Saigon Saigon.
This is the second year of the grant program. In 2021, the program also handed out nearly $100,000 to 30 local businesses.
The list of the grant recipients is below.
- Asia Bistro
- Axis Rehab & Chiropractic
- Bonsai Grill
- Commonwealth Joe
- Coqui Boutique
- Crystal City Sports Pub
- Crystal City Wine Shop
- Enjera Restaurant
- Extreme Pizza
- Flowers with Love
- Freddie’s Beach Bar
- Frederico Ristorante Italiano
- Gallery Underground
- Garden Fantasy
- Good Stuff Eatery, Crystal City
- Highline RxR
- La Bettola Italiano
- Lily Bubble Tea & Smoothie
- Mind Your Body Oasis
- Nail Spa
- Pentagon City Wine Merchant
- Potomac Social Tavern
- Portofino
- Pure Barre Pentagon City
- RASA
- Real Jewelers
- Saigon Saigon
- Ship’s Hatch
- Subway Crystal City Metro
- Subway Crystal City
- Synetic Theater
- The Freshman
- Urban Thai Restaurant