Fairfax City spotlights small businesses, Flex Card and workforce programs to boost downtown economy
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Fairfax City economic-development presentations and business testimonials highlighted facade and interior grants, the new Fairfax City Flex Card e-gift program, and Upskill Fairfax City tuition assistance as tools the city says will help small businesses and support workforce development.
Fairfax City economic development officials and a string of local business owners used a city-hosted presentation to promote programs aimed at helping small businesses recover and grow.
City representatives described post-pandemic challenges and new grant efforts — including façade and interior improvement grants, LIFT and FIG grants, and a local gift-card program — that they say are intended to lure businesses to Old Town Fairfax and support existing merchants. “They know that small businesses, really the backbone of the local economy,” an unidentified presenter said.
Several owners described how those grants and city programs helped transform their storefronts. Nicole Liberator, owner of Pistona Bakeshop, said her bakery relies on neighborhood support and on being visible to customers who walk through Old Town Fairfax. Representatives for Nova Labs and other maker spaces credited façade-and-interior grants and a city-supported mural with creating inviting retail and community spaces.
The event also promoted the Fairfax City Flex Card, a digital e-gift-card program that organizers said keeps 100% of card sales within participating Fairfax City businesses. A city spokesperson directed listeners to fairfaxcityconnected.com/flex to purchase and learn more.
Workforce training figured into the presentations: a Northern Virginia workforce representative described entry-level trade programs in plumbing and HVAC and a partnership with employers to connect training to local hiring. City and college partners also announced "Upskill Fairfax City," a tuition-assistance initiative with Northern Virginia Community College for residents and employees seeking certificates in IT, health care and similar fields.
Organizers cast the suite of programs — grants, Flex Card, murals and training — as complementary tools to sustain a walkable downtown, increase foot traffic and provide a pipeline of trained workers to area employers. City materials and presenters said the programs are aimed at retaining local character while supporting business growth.
The outreach featured many short testimonials rather than formal policy decisions; officials said next steps are ongoing promotion and continued coordination with businesses and training partners.