3 Ways to Celebrate Small Business Saturday in Frederick

In 2010, American Express founded Small Business Saturday to encourage people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before. The big day is November 29, 2014, and Frederick is an ideal spot to show your shop local spirit. Frederick was recently named in Yelp's Top 20 Cities to Shop Local for the holidays.
  
Here are 3 ways you can show some local love and celebrate Small Business Saturday in Frederick:

1. Get Up Early to Get a Downtown Doorbuster Bag - Show up early in Downtown Frederick to be one of the first 200 people to receive a "Downtown Doorbuster Bag Giveaway." From 10-Noon, the first 200 attendees will receive a FREE custom-designed, reusable Downtown Frederick shopping bag with deals at 40+ shops and restaurants.  Learn more: http://bit.ly/1tf21o5  
2. Receive up to $30 back with your American Express Card - If you have an American Express card, visit http://amex.co/1AeJ1h4 to register your card and receive up to $30 back for shopping in registered small businesses. Visit the Shop Small Map to see locations city-wide. 
3. Share How You Shop Small - In addition to using #ShopSmall on November 29, use #ShopSmallFredco to share how you shop small in Frederick.  We are partnering with the Frederick County Department of Business Development and Retention to feature photos capturing the spirit of #ShopSmall and tagged with #ShopSmallFredco via Facebook and Twitter. The photo could be you dining at a restaurant, picking up bread at a local bakery, a favorite shop or business, or just getting a jump start on your shopping.  

In the City of Frederick, 95% of our businesses are small businesses, which means they have 50 or fewer employees. Based on recent InfoUSA data, 88% of City businesses have fewer than 25 employees. 

If you live in or around Frederick, you know shopping small is a source of pride for many, and the options are endless.

Director of Economic Development Richard Griffin
getting ready to shop small this season in Downtown Frederick.

City of Frederick Awarded $350k in SGIF Grant Funding

The City of Frederick's Department of Economic Development applied for and was awarded  $350K in grant funding through the Department of Housing & Community Development’s Smart Growth Impact Fund (SGIF) Program to be used for the Downtown Hotel Project.  The new SGIF is a funding program to catalyze activities that accelerate economic development, job production and smart growth in existing Maryland communities. The SGIF aims to improve the economic viability of “grey field development”, which often faces more barriers than sprawling “green field" development.

Funding from the grant will be used in part for consultative services with Jones Lang LaSalle and to assist with site control and pre-development/entitlement costs for the project. 

The Downtown Hotel & Conference Center will be developed by Plamondon Hospitality Partners and located at the intersections of Patrick Street & Carroll Street, site of the old Frederick News-Post building. The project is expected to feature 207 guest rooms, 24,000 SF of meeting/ballroom space, on-site parking, a restaurant and rooftop lounge, among other amenities.

For more information on the project, visit the City’s Economic Development website.

This Week on Carroll Creek - November 12

Work continues on Carroll Creek Park on the East end of the park including grading, stone work, a fountain and shared use paths. The stone work in the picture above is part of the fountain and is just east of the Delaplaine and on the south side of the creek. The large structure behind is the City's All Saints Street parking deck.

Grading is nearly complete for the shared use path on the north side of the creek.

Equipment and materials continue to arrive in preparation for work on the far east side of Carroll Creek, near McCutcheon's Apple Products location.

Connect with Us for Updates

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the most recent news and updates on this project and others. 
 
About the Next Phase of Carroll Creek Park

This next phase of park improvements will include new and widened multi-use paths, landscape planters, lighting, water features and crosswalk improvements. The work will occur primarily between Bentz and S. Market Street and between the Delaplaine Arts Center and East Patrick Street. More than $100M in new and renovated private construction is planned along the new park/path sections which will eventually result in hundreds of new jobs and increased state and local tax revenue.