Advocating for Small Businesses

I am proud that in my role as an IL State Senator, I’ve consistently gone to bat for mom and pop small businesses. Many of our wonderful storefront businesses are owned by folks who are struggling to rent a space, navigate the cost and red tape of dealing with government bureaucracy, and deal with skyrocketing inflation that has made it harder for them to survive. To better meet the chronic needs of our local small businesses, I proactively reached out to Chambers of Commerce overlapping the neighborhoods in my Senate district and we created a program from scratch: the Small Business Restoration Grant. I secured $2.5 million in funds to create the program which gave unprecedented $10,000 grants to small businesses struggling to recover from COVID-19 and those feeling displacement pressure on retail corridors in gentrifying neighborhoods such as Asia on Argyle, immigrant-owned small businesses along Broadway in Uptown and Edgewater, and several more corridors in Rogers Park and Lincoln Square among others. A total of 225 small businesses received these grants and many were able to continue operating because of them.

Both of my parents were small business owners on the north side of Chicago. My mom especially weathered economic storms to operate Salon Pastiche in Rogers Park for 25 years. People like my mom and many more in our district want to offer terrific experiences to our neighbors but just need more accessible, relevant, and timely help from the government.

I will fight for new innovative grant programs to target and support the needs of small businesses and independently-owned retail. We have so many amazing Main Street corridors and small business corridors throughout the cities and suburbs of the 9th Congressional District. I would be a regular and proud champion of all of them and work to ensure they are represented in federal small business support programs. I would also be an active presence across the small business communities of the 9th District. Yes, you will see me eating at your restaurants, having a beer at your breweries and bars, shopping at your retail shops, visiting your grocery and pet stores, buying your books, and absolutely visiting your bike shops!