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Martinez Chamber and downtown group outline business-support workshops, grants and a Vibe Map to boost foot traffic
Summary
The Martinez Chamber of Commerce and the downtown organization presented their FY25–26 funded work: a business-survey–informed SBDC workshop series, $500 microgrants for early workshop completers, a redesigned chamber website with a centralized events calendar, plus a phased Vibe Map and sponsorship strategy to attract visitors and support downtown businesses.
Aaron, representing the Martinez Chamber of Commerce, told the City Council the chamber’s contract work for fiscal year 2025–26 centers on business attraction, a four-class Small Business Development Center (SBDC) workshop series and targeted one-on-one counseling. “We had an 8% response rate,” Aaron said of a survey of more than 1,000 business-license holders; he added the chamber is offering 20 hours of in-person counseling and $500 grants to the first 20 businesses that complete the series.
Sarah, from the downtown organization, described a parallel effort to modernize the downtown web presence and add a Vibe Map — “an interactive directory that will guide you to all the businesses” — intended to drive foot traffic and enable self‑guided walking tours. She said the Vibe Map will be introduced in phases and integrated into an updated website so visitors can find hours, video snippets and planned experiences from their phones.
Both presenters emphasized coordination with the city’s concierge effort and shared calendars. City staff and council members pressed for details on distribution of survey respondents and whether SBDC services would be locally delivered; Aaron said the East Bay EDA/SBDC will operate out of CSU East Bay but will host counseling in Martinez. Council members praised outreach, social-media engagement and the planned welcome kits and encouraged staff to ensure smaller-pocket businesses across the city are included, not only downtown.
The council received the presentations and did not take formal action on funding at this meeting; staff indicated the website and program rollouts will continue across spring and summer.
