Free Interior Make-Overs for Bayview Businesses: Applications Due Next Week

This information didn’t come to the desk of the Bayview Merchants’ Association until late last Friday, but is a HUGE opportunity for the Bayview-Hunters Point small business community:

Wells Fargo is awarding 3 Bayview businesses a $3,000 grant for a redesign of their interior space.  Not only does this opportunity come at no cost to the business, but it also includes free consultations with design professionals, free marketing workshops, and free design and printing of additional marketing materials.

If you are a Bayview business in need of an economic boost, please apply for this opportunity today! Applications are due at 5pm on Wednesday, August 25th.

To apply, contact Robyn Fountain, Program Coordinator at Renaissance Bayview, at (415) 647-3728 x408 or via email at robyn@rencenter.org.

If you don’t have all of the necessary documents for your business, you are still encouraged to apply, and a Renaissance Bayview staff member will assist you throughout the entire application process.

“Meet the Banker” Workshop: Wed, July 21st @ 6:00pm

• Are you tired of paying high fees on your bank account or don’t have one?

• Why spend hundreds of dollars at a check-cashing company when you can deposit your money for free and pay your bills at no additional cost?

• Did you know that many people are “unbanked” or “underbanked”?

• Need a banker who can speak a language other than English?

• Have you had a bank about be closed by the bank within the last twelve months?

Without a bank account, the average person will spend 5% of there income at check cashing places each year. The Bank on San Francisco program’s mission is to give every San Francisco access to a bank account and has helped San Franciscans open over 25,000 accounts so far!  Come to the upcoming workshop in the Bayview and learn about Bank on San Francisco and other second-chance banking options so you and your family don’t have to continue to pay exorbitant fees to predatory financial institutions.  And bring your friends!  See the flier below for details.

When: Wednesday, July 21^st 2010
Time: 6:00 P.M.
Where: Soo Fong Restaurant
3801 Third Street, Suite 370
San Francisco, CA 94124

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GRAND OPENING: ZellShaun E’Mon Apparel Boutique, Saturday, July 17th

Come celebrate ZellShaun E’Mon’s grand opening at 3582 San Bruno Avenue on Saturday, July 17th from 1pm – 6pm! The grand opening will be accompanied by raffles, music, food, and champagne as yet another Renaissance Bayview client marks the first day of her journey as a small business entrepreneur in San Francisco.

For the first two hours of the grand opening from (1pm -3pm) everything in the store will be 20% off!

ZellShaun E’Mon is an apparel boutique that specializes in the sales of necklaces, earrings, handbags, scarfs, bracelets, and more!  For more information, contact the store at 415-508-0060 or zellshaunemonapparel@yahoo.com.

A Mentor-Protege Mixer @ Union Bank Next Wednesday

Next Wednesday, June 23rd at 6:00pm at Union Bank in the Bayview Plaza, the Renaissance Bayview invites you to a Mentor-Protege mixer sponsored by Lennar Urban.  This mixer is intended for local Bayview-Hunters Point contractors interested or involved the the Renaissance/Lennar mentor-protege program.  If interested in attending, please RSVP to Yamilet Gonzalez at 415-647-3728 or at yamilet@rencenter.org.

Sunday Streets in the Bayview this Sunday! Co-Hosted by the BMA!

For folks looking for something to do this Sunday, May 23rd, look no further!  This weekend marks the 2nd Sunday Streets in the Bayview this year and the 5th overall Bayview Sunday Streets.  Each year, increasingly more community-based organizations have gotten involved in Sunday Streets programming to take advantage of the streets being closed off for the day.

This year marks the most extensive programming seen yet during a Bayview Sunday Streets, with three major hubs of activities along Third Street in the Bayview.   Most notably is the Bayview Music Festival on Third and Galvez by the Bayview Plaza.   Also, there is a Health & Wellness Fair at the Bayview Opera House at Third and Oakdale and a slew of other activities by the MLK pool at Third and Armstrong.

Come on down with your bicycle, skateboard, rollerskates, feet, or any other non-motorized contraption this Sunday and join in the festivities!  There will be food, games, entertainment, and best of all, all your friends and neighbors will be there partying in the street!

Bayview Business Awards Reception = Thursday, April 8th

Renaissance Bayview (formerly the Bayview Business Resource Center), Lennar Urban, and the Bayview Merchants’ Association are hosting the Second Annual Bayview Business Awards Reception next month at UCSF’s Mission Bay Conference Center.  The reception will be an opportunity for Bayview-area business owners and affiliates to come together to celebrate small business success stories in the Bayview-Hunters Point district of San Francisco.  There will be a series of awards and speeches at the event, interspersed with networking and delicious hour d’ouvres and other refreshments.  Everyone is invited!  If you are interested in attending, please R.S.V.P by Friday, April 1, 2010 to:

Yamilet Gonzalez at (415) 647-3728 Ext. 402
or email: yamilet@rencenter.org

See the flier below for further details.

REMINDER: SF Shines Applications Due This Week

This is a reminder for all Third Street merchants that if you are interested in receiving the city grant for facade and/or inside improvements of your Third Street business, the application for the grant is due THIS FRIDAY, February 26th.  The details of the program are below:

• Up to $13,500 grant for facade improvement awardees (with a 25% match by the business)
• Up to $25,000 grant for tenant (inside) improvement awardees (with a 25% match by the business)

What your business needs in order to apply:

• detailed list of what the funds would be used for
• executive summary
  • brief description of your business, products & services, highlights, history, & achievements
• Personal Resume
  • from each person owning 30% or more of the business
• Proof of insurance
• Copy of your most recent business bank statement
  • this will be used to verify that you have the match funds
• Copy of complete, signed, and dated federal business tax returns past 2 years with all attachments and schedules (if applicable)
• monthly income statement projections for next 2 years

For applicants who are building owners:

• copy of grant deed
• proof of property insurance
• copy of long term lease with merchant
• proof of “Good Standing” with mortgage company

If you or someone you know is interested in applying, feel free to call the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Bayview office for any assistance you may need in applying: (415) 647-3728.  Good luck!

Free Tax Payroll Workshop TONIGHT

There is a FREE tax payroll workshop tonight for any and all interested business owners.  It will basically explain a new, free service for businesses in which payroll can go into your business’s bank account, with each employee receiving a debit-type card they can use to take out their paycheck money.  This is a great way for employees who don’t have a bank account to access their money without going through check-cashing places and the like.  Please swing by and check it out if you have a chance!  Details are below:

• Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
• Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
• Location: Renaissance Bayview, Bayview Plaza, 3801 Third Street (@ Evans), Suite 616, San Francisco, CA 94124
• FEE: Free

FACILITATORS: Diana Schwarz, Senior Payroll Sales Specialist, Wells Fargo

Payroll card product.
Please call to register at (415) 647-3728 Ext. 402

Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities,

please call (415) 647-3728 for details.