ACCION USA Partner Spotlight: Citi
Partner Spotlight: Citi
ACCION USA joined Citibank in Upper Manhattan during the week of May 16th to celebrate Small Business Month. Together, we worked to connect entrepreneurs in Washington Heights with the financial and educational resources needed to keep their businesses thriving. Sonia Baba-Shahverdy, owner of Step by Steps Daycare , received a loan with ACCION USA and Citibank’s support and is using it to invest in her daycare business.
ACCION Microfinance- Inwood, New York.
Brewing a New Market for Microloans.
ACCION USA Staff are brewing up a new market for our microloans. Where, you may ask, are we stirring up this new business? Well, we like to think of ourselves as ‘loan brewristas’, taking the craft brew scene by storm in partnership with Samuel Adams on our Brewing the American Dream program.
As the craft brew scene in America blossoms, ACCION USA is working alongside the industry’s leader and pioneer Samuel Adams to champion small craft brewers by providing microloans to start or expand a home or contract brewing operation, storefront brewery or brewpub.
Our Craft Brewer Loan Fund is making a splash across the country, supporting unique brews like California based Mateveza , Roc Brewing Company in Rochester NY and Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough. Through a recent loan to a home brew supply shop, we feel we’re starting to make a real mark on an exciting movement.
A few years ago, I (Erica) read an article in New York magazine about a couple that had opened a homebrew shop in Brooklyn. I remember being impressed by knowing that something like this could exist, that a young couple, both former chefs could open their own hobby store in the midst of the greatest recession my generation has seen.
Danielle and Benjamin’s homebrew shop is nestled in a swampy yet very hip neighborhood called Gawanus in Brooklyn. You feel like a happy hobbit walking into their garden level brew dwelling- upon entering you see a magnificently organized candy store for the likes of hobby craft brewers. When they responded to my direct email about the Brewing the American Dream Program, I biked over as quickly as I could to explain the awesome benefits that ACCION and Sam Adams have to offer their crafty community.
When Benjamin and Danielle opened Brooklyn homebrew they did it without the help of a bank or a credit card. They started selling from their home at first and later expanded to their store front on 3rd avenue. The issue Danielle and Benjamin were encountering was having space to keep enough inventory-they are able to sell out of their entire stock, sometimes in just one weekend! Once Danielle and Benjamin submitted their application and a few documents, ACCION USA was able to approve them for a loan of $10,000 to buy a larger fridge and to rent a storage space nearby to keep their beer booty.
As the American craft beer renaissance continues to take off in Brooklyn, so does their business.
At ACCION, we are very excited to be contributing to an incredible movement of entrepreneurial creativity. In addition to providing capital, mentorship, and PR support, our Craft Brewer Program has offered brewers the opportunity to apply for the Samuel Adams Experienceship. Stay tuned for more details on how you can help us select our winner!
-Erica and Elizabeth, ACCION USA Loan Brewistas.
Tags: beer, beer loan, beer microloan, brewer, brewery, brewing the american dream, loan money, micro brewer, microbrewer, microfinance, microloan, Sam Adams
Celebrate Fashion Week with NYC Small Businesses
As all the big names in fashion gather here in New York City to show off their 2012 lines, it’s nice to remember how much local talent we have in the Big Apple. Show your support for our local businesses, and remember that the big names once started out small as well.
Natasha Wozniak Designs, Natasha Wozniak
Natasha began working as an artist at fifteen, and her passion for design has been a journey ever since. From this early age, she knew she wanted to work in metal, and learned the art through a variety of sources, from university schooling in Wisconsin to field work in Nepal alongside Buddhist statuary makers. Natasha began her career in jewelry as a bench jeweler in New York, churning out rings and earrings by the hundreds and thousands for various designers. After gaining the necessary industry experience, Natasha decided to work independently, designing and creating her hand-fabricated jewelry collection in her own studio. Natasha now sets her own schedule and designs her own pieces, among them unique engagement rings, work for select galleries, and new wall pieces.
Her entrepreneurial spirit and uniquely-crafted pieces have brought Natasha nationwide success. She travels all over the 
country for jewelry and design shows, and her work is now displayed in galleries in multiple states. However, in early 2010, Natasha needed help straightening out her finances, but couldn’t get a traditional bank loan. She found ACCION USA online, and applied for an ACCION USA loan via our online platform. She was quickly approved for a loan of $5,000, and is now working closely with ACCION USA to get the business side of her artistic passion on track.
To take a look at Natasha’s work and make purchases, visit her website at www.natashajewelry.com.
Sandra Baquero, Sandra Nieto
Sandra is an up and coming fashion designer in New York who hails from Colombia, and brings a Latin American sense of style to her popular handmade designs. Fashion is a difficult and time-consuming field, but Sandra is so passionate about design that she is willing to persevere through hardship. She has worked her way up in New York – and is now featured in several Manhattan boutiques, and has her own online shop.
However, times got tough for Sandra and her family when the recession hit, her husband lost his job, and Sandra became the sole supporter of her family, unfortunately this meant that she could not save enough money to pay entrance to various New York trade shows in Bryant Park and Madison Square Park, a major source of income for Sandra. She started looking for a loan to cover the costs, but had difficulty obtaining a loan from a bank. She discovered ACCION USA at a panel discussion at the Colombian Consul in April of 2010. ACCION USA gave Sandra a $6,000 loan that would cover the fees to participate in annual trade shows.
Thanks to the boost ACCION USA gave to Sandra, her business has become very successful, she is now so busy that she has hired two part-time seamstresses to help prepare for the busy trade show season. Take a look at Sandra’s line at www.sandrabaquero.com/ or shop for her clothing on Etsy.
Cousin & Co., Undra Duncan and Shekima Francois
Cousins Shekima and Undra started out by making their own purses to wear to parties. After they got enough attention from other people, they decided to make it into a business. Undra remembers in 2004 when they bought some leather and tried to find a sample maker to take them seriously. They had been trying to a get a loan from a bank, but they found it to be very difficult. “When ACCION USA gave us the opportunity, we were like ‘wow, they’re actually taking a risk with us.’” Cousin & Co. has had two loans with ACCION USA and is currently supported by the Tory Burch Foundation.
Watch an interview with Shekima, Undra, & Tory Burch. To shop for Cousin & Co handbags visit: www.cousinandco.com
Overall Baby, Jenny Kim
Imagine that if as a kid you could have your favorite pair of overalls redone with a more interesting fabric. That’s what Jenny Kim did. During college, Jenny began fascinated with overalls while she worked for a clothing line that featured workwear items for children. After pursuing other interests, she returned to her fascination with overalls in 2006. Jenny explains that, “Overalls are a very practical purchase for parents because the adjustable straps make it easy for children to grow into and extend the life of its wear.”
Jenny started selling her brand of overalls on Etsy.com, an online community of buyers and sellers for handmade crafts. Her overalls are now available in stores nationwide, and even internationally in Australia, Canada, Italy, and Indonesia. In order to keep up her high selling inventory, Jenny approached ACCION USA for a loan. Overall Baby is now ready for the holiday season.
In need of a baby gift or just want to live vicariously through these adorable items? Visit Jenny’s website at www.overallbaby.com
Karisma, Arlyn Zacarías
As a single mother, Arlyn has always loved the flexibility of working for herself, even when she lived in her home country of the Dominican Republic she used her entrepreneurial spirit to make a living . In the United States Arlyn started making money by shopping for discounted clothes at the Macy’s in Manhattan and selling it door to door in the Bronx. Little by little her business started growing and in October 2008 Arlyn was able to save up enough to open her own boutique in the Bronx called “Karisma.”
Arlyn’s boutique has a nice variety of women’s clothes handbags, shoes, and custom jewelry, but unfortunately that wasn’t always the case. In 2010 Arlyn was having a hard time getting enough inventory for her store, she needed a loan to make a bigger purchase and fill up her store. As a new immigrant, Arlyn had very little credit, so banks were not ever an option, luckily one of her friends had heard about ACCION USA, a local non-profit organization that spoke her language and was able to help those with younger credit histories. Arlyn met with her loan consultant (Evelyn) and together figured out a loan amount she could take on without putting herself in debt. A couple of weeks later, Arlyn received a $6000 loan and thanks to that she was able to but the current beautiful and fashionable items that fill her store today.
Visit Arlyn’ store in the Bronx: 1343 Ogden Ave, New York, NY 10452