Updates from the Office of Economic Development

Scrappy Elephant Opens New Location in Charlottesville

Scrappy Elephant, an art & crafts reuse store, has opened a new location in McIntire Plaza. Owner Sarah Sweet originally started the business in nearby Palmyra during the COVID-19 pandemic. “As an art teacher, I have combined my love of art and my love of teaching children the magical powers making art holds,” says Sweet. Since the business first launched, it has kept 16,000 pounds of waste out of the landfills. In addition to the reuse store, Sweet also plans on offering classes in her studio. For more information on Scrappy Elephant, click here.

Minority Business Month - September 2022

Join us for Minority Business Month, which will include a gala, black business expo, entrepreneurship workshops, resource fair, and finance panel. Minority Business Month events will be from Friday, September 9th to Thursday, September 29th. Click here for more information.

Sixth Annual Black Business Expo

The Charlottesville Office of Economic Development is proud to sponsor the Charlottesville-Albemarle Black Business Expo. This event is presented by Lifeview Marketing and will be hosted on Saturday, September 24^th, 2022 at IX Art Park. Proudly supported by WTJU 91.1 FM and IX Art Park.

The Black Business Expo supports and celebrates local black-owned businesses. It is a FREE event designed to celebrate and encourage the success of black-owned businesses locally and beyond. If you would like to have your business participate in the annual expo, please register here.

Resource Fair

The Community Investment Collaborative and Charlottesville Office of Economic Development will be hosting a Business Resource Fair on Wednesday, September 28^th. This event offers local entrepreneurs free individual consultations with attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, social media consultants, marketing professionals, business productivity coaches, and human resources consultants. Register for a single time slot with one consultant for each topic you’re interested in here.

OED Fun Fact

UVA football returns to Charlottesville on September 3^rd with the Cavalier home opener against Richmond. While not currently a top team in college football, the Cavaliers were an early powerhouse with 28 winning seasons in a row beginning in 1888. November will be a big month as UVA continues its participation in the South’s Oldest Rivalry with another rematch again North Carolina and takes on in-state rival Virginia Tech. Help kick off the 2022 campaign with a visit to the Downtown mall for Paint the Town Orange on Friday night September 2^nd.

Paint the Town Orange

The 2022 edition of Paint the Town Orange will occur Friday, September 2^nd starting at 7:30 PM on the Downtown Mall. The annual parade and pep rally will start at the Omni Hotel and march down the Mall before concluding at the Ting Pavilion. Please be advised that 2^nd Street and 4^th Street (Heather Heyer Way) will be closed for the duration of the event.

BRACE 4.0 Grant

The BRACE 4.0 is currently accepting applications from City businesses. This program is a matching, reimbursable grant of up to $2,500 (for new recipients) or $1,250 (for previous recipients) to help offset qualifying expenses incurred by City businesses. The business is required to provide a 30% match for the City’s contribution. The applicant must be for-profit business or a non-profit organization that is focused on hospitality, tourism, or supporting economic development/business causes. Applications will be accepted until September 2, 2022 at 5:00 PM. Expenses incurred between May 1, 2022 and September 2, 2022 are eligible. Interested businesses can apply here.

City Zoning Process continues - public comment period opportunity through September 6th

The City of Charlottesville is seeking input on its approach to a zoning rewrite. While the focus of the effort is to ensure the zoning, ordinance implements the newly adopted affordable housing plan there will be additional changes that update and streamline the ordinance. Property owners, developers and business owners should consider reviewing and providing comments now to ensure their opinions are considered as the process continues.

For more information on how to submit comments, click here.

Belmont Bridge Pedestrian Tunnel to Temporarily Close

Starting August 23^rd, the existing pedestrian tunnel to/from the Downtown Mall via the Ting Pavilion on Water Street will be closed until late September 2022. The detour route will be along the southern sidewalk on Water Street to the existing crosswalk at the Downtown Transit Station. A ramp and staircase are located west of the Downtown Transit Station which connects to the Downtown Mall.

City Clay Highlighted as Part of Made in Central Virginia

City Clay was featured in a news story on CBS19 for giving back to those in need. Students made plates and dinner tableware for the IRC to place in the new homes that the refugees were coming to. City Clay offers a creative environment, equipment and classes for professional potters and to students of all ages. See the full CBS19 story here

Upcoming Webinars from CVSBDC

CV SBDC is a team of business and technical experts available to listen, advise and assist entrepreneurs, confidentially and free of charge. They offer 1:1 assistance, connection to curated research, access to technical experts and professionals, and timely events and training.

Government Contracting: Finding Opportunities in Today’s Environment – September 6^th at 10:00 am PREREGISTER

Starting Your Business – September 13^th at 10:00 am PREREGISTER

Customer Discovery for Long-Term Startup Ventures – September 13^th at 2:00 PM PREREGISTER