Puyallup has launched a "Winter-Ready Restaurant and Retail Grant Program” which offers eligible businesses up to $5,000 to expand services to online and in-person customers during the upcoming colder months.
To be eligible, a business must be a restaurant or retail store with a brick and mortar location in Puyallup's city limits. All independent and locally owned retail and food and drink establishments may apply, as well as Washington-based franchises. Non-local franchises are not eligible. Businesses must also be for-profit, have an active City of Puyallup business license prior to March 1, 2020 and have either temporarily closed or experienced dramatically limited operations due to the public health orders related to the COVID-19 public health crisis, resulting in lost revenue.
Winter-Ready grant funds can be used to purchase, but are not limited to:
• Tents (rental or purchase)
• Awnings and side panels
• Heaters (rental or purchase)
• Propane
• Lighting
• Outdoor furniture
• Interior improvements (“low touch” features, point of sale system updates, sneeze barriers, etc.)
• Online sales (website improvements, e-commerce platform)
• Other items needed to serve additional customers online or outdoors during restrictions
"This a really great program with the potential to help many of our valued local businesses meet the continuing challenge of reduced occupancy restrictions," said Puyallup's Economic Development Manager Meredith Neal. "Puyallup business owners have already shown they are resilient and can adapt to new ways of doing things, and we look forward to seeing how they get creative with these additional tools. The goal is to assist businesses in welcoming more customers in a way that is safe and enjoyable, and keeps more people employed."
A total of $150,000 in grant funds will be allocated. Applications for the program will be accepted until 11:59 pm on Monday, November 16, 2020.