Tony, a representative for Fair Lawn Main Street, reported to the Borough Council on Oct. 21 on recent small-business grants and promotion plans ahead of Small Business Saturday.

The core point: Main Street has secured several grant awards for local businesses and for small-business promotion but staff said outreach remains limited and asked council members and residents for help recruiting businesses and volunteers.

What was reported: Tony said a lease grant program can cover up to 20% of a qualifying business’s lease for two years. He gave two clear award figures: $80,540.68 received in 2022 and $84,152.60 in 2024. He also said an e-commerce grant of $9,465 was awarded, and that a manufacturing grant of $250,000 was awarded to XPAC. Steps to Success received a $50,000 award in 2023, Tony said. He listed several small businesses that had received smaller improvement grants, though some individual grant amounts were not specified in the meeting record.

Volunteer request and outreach: Tony asked council members and residents to each provide lists of five local businesses Main Street could contact and asked volunteers to like and share Main Street social posts to draw customers into local shops for Small Business Saturday, scheduled approximately five weeks after the report.

Why it matters: Small-business grants and promotion programs are intended to support business retention and increase local foot traffic; Main Street officials told the council they need broader outreach and volunteer help to connect eligible local businesses to funding and promotion.

What the borough did: The Main Street update was provided as a report; there was no formal council vote on the grant recipients at this meeting.