Mayor Adams, SBS Commissioner Kim Kick Off National Small Business Week with Events Planned in All Five Boroughs Over Five Days

May 2, 2022

Video available at: https://youtu.be/GcUOoJ5FG4g

Mayor Signs Executive Order Establishing a Small Business Advisory Commission 

Five-Borough Celebration Tour Will Encourage New Yorkers to Shop Local, Raise Awareness of Services to Help Small Businesses Recover and Grow 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim today kicked off 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. 

“New York is a big city of small businesses, which make our city vibrant, resilient, and reliable,” said Mayor Adams. “We are celebrating National Small Business Week by taking the city’s small business services on tour in every borough. And by establishing a Small Business Advisory Commission, we are empowering small business leaders to help shape an inclusive economic recovery.” 

“When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it posed a historic challenge to New York City’s small businesses but in every borough, small business owners and workers demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience and stepped up to serve their communities,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “That is why our ‘Renew, Rebuild, Reinvent’ report lays out a roadmap for a five-borough recovery, putting our small businesses front and center. This administration will continue to equip them with the resources they need to open, stay open and flourish.” 

“The best way to help New York City’s small businesses is to meet them where they are, and on their terms,” said SBS Commissioner Kim. “During National Small Business Week, we are bringing our mobile unit to every borough and celebrating our small businesses with everything from synchronized dance to food and giveaways. I hope every small business owner takes the time to join us at one of the events so they can learn more about our services and join the fun.”    

“Supporting small businesses is critical for our economic recovery,” said Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “I am proud to work with the mayor and the New York City Department of Small Business Services every day to build a city where workers, consumers, and businesses alike can thrive.” 

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 

“It is imperative that we support the small businesses of our community, especially as they fight to bounce back from the last two years during the pandemic,” said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella. “We are grateful to have Linda Baran as a partner and advocate for the Staten Island small business community. We would also like to thank SBS Commissioner Kim for visiting Staten Island and recognizing these owners as a foundation of the borough’s economy.”    

“Our mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, neighborhood bars, bodegas, barbershops, hair salons, and other local establishments are the lifeline and community anchors that shape the vibrant culture and diversity of our neighborhoods in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “The pandemic had a devastating effect on our small business community, and while many of them struggled to stay afloat, they continued to serve and feed our communities. As we attempt to recover financially from COVID-19, it is important that we not only support our local businesses, but also provide them with the necessary tools to generate economic growth and wealth in our borough. I am excited this year to join Mayor Adams and Commissioner Kim from the New York City Department of Small Business Services in celebration of National Small Business Week and Bronx Week, to truly highlight and recognize our small business community, their resiliency, and vital contributions to our city.” 

“We are grateful to the New York City Department of Small Business Services for bringing a strategic vision for our small business community,” said Dale Charles, executive director, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID. “Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities, the spine of our local economy, and when you support a small business, you support a family dream, especially in a community like Bed-Stuy where most local business owners live right here.” 

“Small businesses will always be a key component in the foundation and progression of a community,” said Oma Holloway, chief operating officer, Bridge Street Development Corporation. “During this Small Business Week, we aim not only to commemorate the resilience of small businesses in Central Brooklyn, but also to support them in their endeavors towards future success.” 

“Our small businesses are essential fabric in the vibrant tapestry of Bronx neighborhoods and deserve special acknowledgement this week and every week,” said Lisa Sorin, president, Bronx Chamber of Commerce. “We are very grateful for the ongoing support of New York City Small Business Services and our fellow business-focused partner organizations to create a destination event that will both highlight local shops and allow for wider sharing of important small business resources by our Bronx Chamber outreach team and related networks.”