Microgrants Are Part of a Commitment Reynoso Made at His 2024 State of the Borough Address to Help Brooklyn’s Small Businesses Flourish
***PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE***
BROOKLYN, NY (May 13, 2025) – Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and Renaissance Economic Development Corporation (REDC) yesterday announced the 13 Brooklyn small businesses that will be receiving $2,000 microgrants to help modernize their digital marketing strategies. In the age of digital commerce, too many small businesses have been left without the resources or information to compete against giant corporations. These microgrants will help transform these small businesses’ digital footprint and kickstart their modern marketing strategies.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Brooklyn’s economy, and in a time of economic uncertainty, it is imperative to provide them with the infrastructure to succeed,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “My dad opened his own pizzeria and bodega when he first immigrated to the United States, and small businesses continue to be a gateway into the middle class for immigrant families. As people increasingly shop online, our small businesses need all the resources they can get to compete in a digital market. I am proud to partner with AAFE to provide these microgrants and cannot wait to see how these 13 neighborhood businesses will thrive in the digital marketplace.”
Borough President Reynoso first announced the partnership with AAFE in 2024 at his State of the Borough address, allocating $30,000 in Fiscal Year 2025 funding to the community development organization to administer the program to boost small businesses as well as provide multilingual resources.
“We at AAFE and Renaissance Economic Development Corp., our small business affiliate, are grateful to Borough President Reynoso for making this impactful microgrant program possible,” said Thomas Yu, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE). “The Renaissance team is proud to be working with these 13 Brooklyn-based entrepreneurs to help ensure their success in the digital marketplace. When our small businesses succeed, jobs are created and retained, communities are safer and stronger and our communities thrive.”
Today’s announcement was made at one of the businesses receiving funding from this allocation: Lady Chow Kitchen in Bensonhurst.
Additional recipients include:
- J&Y Dak Inc, Korean Restaurant, 676 Manhattan Ave
- Y2 Nail Inc, Nail Salon, 670 Manhattan Ave
- Bon Voyage USA Inc., Luggage Wholesaler, 220 Ingraham St
- Emerly Custom Bridal Corp, Custom Clothes Tailor, 1274 50 St
- Metalmania Sheet Metal Works, Inc., Steelwork/ Construction Materials, 228 47th St
- SoGo Home USA Inc, Home Retail Goods, 2025 86th St
- Art to Ware Fashion LLC, Fashion Designer/Retailer, 442 Lorimer St
- Kang Li Trading Inc, Wholesale Health Supplements, 6226 20 Ave
- R&D&B Goods, LLC dba R&D Goods, Gourmet Grocery Store, 600 Vanderbilt Ave
- Karepango, LLC, Clothing Retailer, 153 Chauncey Street
- 512 Nostrand Ave Inc, Deli Grocery Store, 512 Nostrand Ave
- Hayoung Corp dba Michelle Beauty, Beauty Supply Store, 7918 Flatlands Ave
“Renaissance gave me the capital and guidance to grow—first in Chinatown, and now in Brooklyn,” said Aiqin Zhou, owner of Lady Chow Kitchen. “With the Brooklyn Digital Marketing Grant, I’m excited to take my marketing to the next level. Thank you to Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso, AAFE, and Renaissance for believing in small businesses like mine.”