CASHLESS IS NOT KING
The legislation banning cashless-only establishments in NYC goes into effect on November 19th. Earlier this year, City Council voted in the bill, which requires brick-and-mortar businesses to accept cash or face penalties of up to $1,000 for a first violation. It also prohibits establishments from charging customers higher prices for paying in cash.
Even if you have been operating as a cashless business for contactless transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, you must make provisions to now accept cash. See the City Council law notes here.
FAB FULTON ANNUAL MEETING
Do you plan to attend this year’s VIRTUAL annual meeting? It’s set for Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 10:00am. You have until Oct. 9 to register as a BID member; print and complete this form!
MainStreet ONLINE, powered by Google, pairs small business owners with COOP students, who are trained in e-commerce and supervised by an experienced strategist, to build an optimized Shopify online store for businesses for FREE and help them reach new customers with Google tools.
Small businesses will get hands-on assistance setting up a Shopify website and free product listings on the Google shopping tab, an optimized free Business Profile on Google Search and Maps, and support building effective Smart Shopping campaigns on Google.
The program will be accepting 150 small businesses; the deadline to apply is October 30th. The only criteria required is that applicants be registered NY State businesses with 20 or fewer employees. (If you do not desire to set up a shopping cart online, but still would like the other benefits of working with a MainStreet Online Specialist team, you can still apply; add that as a note on your form. Your application will be marked as a special request.) Access the application here.
The NYC Small Business Resource Network will be able to assist small businesses in all five boroughs with technology, real estate, legal and accounting services, procurement opportunities, marketing, loans and grants, and more. The network is part of a city-wide initiative to bring technical assistance and business recovery support to NYC small businesses through our local Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
Click here to sign up today to access a Small Business Support Specialist!
Need more supplies for your staff and employees? The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce can provide the following essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for your business through the Bring Back Brooklyn Fund:
Contactless thermometers
Safety goggles
Gloves
Masks
Sanitizer
Deep cleaning services via a vetted list of Brooklyn cleaning companies
Apply here for a grant to use for PPE.
Also, if your business needs more protective face masks for your staff/employees, we still have a limited quantity to distribute. Simply drop us an email request here, and we’ll schedule a time to get the masks to you.
— NYC SBS hosted a webinar about indoor dining guidelines and best practices. Check out the video (click here) that features several agency and city representatives, who detailed new requirements for restaurant owners. Participating agencies included Department of Health (DOH), Department of Buildings (DOB), FDNY, and more. Of particular note is the section led by Stephani Robson, a hospitality expert from Cornell University; she shared valuable best practices info regarding spacing tables, messaging, maximizing profitability with smaller restaurant capacity, and more. Her presentation begins at 30:30.
— Gov. Cuomo announced that the commercial eviction moratorium has been extended until October 20th; read details here.
ABOUT FAB FULTON
The Fulton Area Business Alliance (FAB FULTON) is a non-profit organization that advocates for and collaborates with small businesses and property owners along Fulton Street in Brooklyn’s neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill to maintain a safe, clean, and welcoming community while securing resources and partnerships for initiatives that enhance and promote the district.
This post contains links to the articles and information referenced in our latest FAB BIZ BLAST email communication. You can subscribe to future newsletters; sign up here for the FAB FULTON BIZ BLAST to get the latest information and resources for FAB FULTON Businesses!
