November 27, 2021
Dear Friends,
I hope that you had a safe and healthy Thanksgiving spent enjoying family, friends, and food. With Thanksgiving now past, many of us now turn our attention to the holiday season as shopping is already underway.
This Small Business Saturday and throughout the year, I encourage everyone to truly celebrate that holiday spirit of giving by showing support for our small businesses and shopping local.
Here in our Capital Region, we are lucky to have many incredible small businesses that offer vibrancy, jobs and economic opportunity for our community. I was lucky to visit several of them this week.
- Urban Aftermath Books offers customers thousands of books online and at their Albany store. I was proud that our office was able to help owner Hassan Elminyawi receive a COVID Economic Impact Disaster Loan (EIDL) to get through these challenging months.
- Sawtooth Jewelry Studio is an artist owned metalsmithing workshop that creates beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces made in-store. I spoke with owner Maria Levin about the work that goes into this hand-crafted jewelry and the importance of federal assistance in keeping her business going through the pandemic.
- Seasons Cafe & Tea House offers delicious coffee, smoothies, and baked goods right in Troy’s historic lower River Street district. It’s the perfect place to take a quick coffee-break from gift shopping during Small Business Saturday!
- Delmar Bootery has been offering quality shoes and leather repair to our community for more than 80 years! After seeing their operations firsthand, it’s no surprise why their services are so renowned. This staple of our region was able to continue operations through COVID thanks to federal PPP loans we fought to pass in Congress.
- Rad Soap Co. owner Sue Kerber first started crafting her all-natural soap in her kitchen. With her entrepreneurial spirit and passion, she transformed this home operation into a booming business that offers hand-crafted soaps, lotions and so much more.
- Ta-Da! is a toy store for all ages, offering family games, books, collectibles, puzzles, and more to bring out your inner child this holiday season. I spoke with owner Michael Richman about this year’s hottest toys and the hurdles they overcame over the last year.
In the face of the devastating COVID pandemic, few industries were hit as hard as our small and independent shops, businesses, and restaurants. I fought hard to help our local businesses weather this storm with multiple much-needed COVID rescue bills that delivered key provisions, including the Paycheck Protection Program, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, and Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which provided a lifeline to keep countless treasured local businesses afloat.
As we emerge from the initial impact of this ongoing pandemic, achieving a strong, sustainable economic recovery starts with continuing to strengthen and support our local entrepreneurs. We are delivering this vital action with the Build Back Better agenda that passed in the House of Representatives last week and would ensure that our small businesses can thrive and continue their powerful work as the engine of our economy.
This federal response is essential, but it is also critical that we in the community do our part to ensure the success and longevity of our small businesses. Shopping small is a smart investment that directly benefits all in our region, as each dollar spent at a locally-owned business has three times the economic impact on the community as national chains.
I hope you will join me this holiday season and shop at our many wonderful small businesses.
In the face of these challenging times, I thank our small business owners for their resilience and dedication that continue to make our Capital Region a better, brighter place.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest local, state and federal updates and recommendations. With that in mind here is some information from New York that may be of interest to you:
- New Yorkers 18 years and older who received their Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna initial vaccine series at least six months ago or the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months ago are now eligible for their booster dose.
- Booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are free and widely available statewide for eligible New Yorkers.
- CDC and NYSDOH encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get their booster dose, especially those over the age of 50 and others with underlying conditions.
- Click HERE for questions on vaccine eligibility.
- Talk to your health care provider or vaccine administrator if you have any additional questions.
