Local Business Boost Program
A micro-grant program offering one-on-one technical assistance and implementation support to local businesses to help them gain a competitive advantage in an increasingly global marketplace.
Join the Movement!
Stay in the loop with the latest news, curated events and all things Cape Cod.
Boosting Local Growth
Since 2022, the Local Business Boost Program has offered targeted, one-on-one technical assistance and implementation support to small businesses in downtown Hyannis to assist in their continued growth and help them gain competitive advantage.
Rather than offering generalized workshops and advice, the program provided financial support and focused on actual implementation by engaging local service providers, creating a multiplier effect for the community.
Funding has been secured for Hyannis through grants available to Gateway Cities in Massachusetts. We are currently seeking funding to take this program Capewide.
The Program began as a partnership between the Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District and Love Live Local with support from Amplify POC Cape Cod, the Town of Barnstable and MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative, and two grant cycles have been made possible due to funding received from the TDI Program as well as the State of Massachusetts through the Executive Office of Economic Development, an earmark in the Economic Development Bill made by Senator Julian Cyr, the Cape & Islands License Plate fund and the Cape Cod Foundation.
The 2022 pilot program awarded 7 grants. The 2023 awarded 20 more grants. Additional funds will need to be secured to continue the program in 2024.
"I loved the freedom I had to make the changes needed and appreciated the trust and support of Love Live Local and the BID during the process. The added dressing room has been a blessing for us as the line to try on clothes with one dressing room kept people waiting - sometimes as long as a half hour. We were so grateful to receive the funding to make their building better and were genuinely in awe of the generosity of such a program."
The goals of the program are to:
- Provide financial support to local businesses seeking to improve, enhance and elevate their current operations in their physical and/or online space.
- Focus on the implementation of technical assistance in local businesses’ digital and physical spaces.
- Engage with local service providers to implement the technical assistance in an effort to create a multiplier effect for the community.
- Help keep Cape Cod unique by supporting independent businesses in this era of standardization.
27
Grants Awarded
$156,000
Invested in Local Businesses
45
Local Service Providers Enlisted
44%
BIPOC-owned businesses
74%
Women-owned businesses
2
Years of impact
Local Boost Program Success Stories
The Kilwin’s Hyannis retail location is owned by Dominick Marciano. It provides high-quality chocolates, Ice Cream, and confections combined with excellent service.
- Post Date
- Tue, Jan 16
- Local Business Boost Program
A family-owned business owned by Mike and Jacob Kline that crafts and sells leather goods. They purchased what was formally known as Cellar Leather and rebranded the business in 2019.
- Post Date
- Tue, Jan 16
- Local Business Boost Program
A deli and coffee shop providing innovative sandwich options with a Mediterranean twist. The shop was opened in 2017 by Fredy and Maryna Chavez and employs 4 year-round employees, with two additional employees in the summer.
- Post Date
- Tue, Jan 16
- Local Business Boost Program
Food Port was established in 2013 to serve the local Eastern European community residing in Hyannis and across Cape Cod. It is the only store of this kind on the Cape and is run by husband-and-wife team Fredy and Maryna Chavez.
- Post Date
- Tue, Jan 16
- Local Business Boost Program
The Just Breathe Salt Spa was opened in 2019 by Syd Miliken and is a wellness center focusing on salt therapy and is a dedicated halotherapy facility.
- Post Date
- Tue, Oct 31
- Local Business Boost Program