Storefront Improvement Program offered to small business owners
SAN DIEGO — Small business owners now have an opportunity to give the outside of their stores a facelift for a lesser cost.
The City of San Diego said its Storefront Improvement Program offers free professional design and financial assistance to improve the curb appeal of local storefronts.
“The Storefront Improvement Program is one of the most effective and straightforward ways the City can help small businesses, by putting improvement dollars back in the hands of the owner,” said Christina Bibler, director of the city’s Economic Development Department. “It was created specifically to help offset the cost of making businesses look nicer and has resulted in transformative results for over a hundred small businesses throughout the past decade.”
What businesses qualify?
This program is only offered to business that are located in the city and have a valid business tax certificate. Also, those who wish to apply must be a commercial occupant of the property, which is required to have a street-level and street-facing establishment.
More information about qualifications and the application process can be found here.
What do business owners get?
According to the city, the program offers 10 hours of design time with a licensed professional and reimbursement of half the project cost up to $8,000. For businesses located the San Diego Promise Zone, business owners could potentially qualify for a 30% increase of $10,400 in project costs.
When applying, applicants are asked to identify what improvements they would like to make and what goals they hope the improvements will help achieve, the city explained.
As the New Year approaches, small businesses can jump on this opportunity to whip their storefronts into shape come 2023.