NEW YORK, NY – Bank of America today announced the four New York City-based small business winners of this year’s Bank of America Awards. Small Business Spotlight program at the iconic Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. Each business will display and sell their products in rent-free space in the Bank of America Winter Village Holiday Shops for more than two weeks each. The four local businesses and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to reach new customers at one of the top winter shopping and tourism centers and Bank of America will pay for the lease of the stores and the packaging of the build-out of the store.
In addition, the Bank of America Marketplace and Seneca Women booth, sponsored by Bank of America, will return to the Holiday Shops for a second year. In 2023, the bank and Seneca Women launched the Bank of America Market by Seneca Women, an online marketplace that gives women entrepreneurs access to new markets and customers. Throughout the winter season, customers have the opportunity to shop for themselves at the booth, which features five women’s businesses from the US and Mexico.
Last year, more than 180 holiday shops at Bryant Park, including the four Small Business Spotlight vendors and four Bank of America Marketplace and Seneca Women booth businesses, generated approximately $40 million in sales during the season.
“Entrepreneurs and small businesses help drive New York City’s economy and are the backbone of our communities,” he said José Tavarez, president of Bank of America New York City. “Bank of America is committed to helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses and we look forward to hosting Small Business Spotlight companies this year at the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park Holiday Shops. This rent-free Small Business Spotlight booth will help these businesses connect with new customers and sell their products in this innovative space without incurring additional costs. This year’s entrepreneurs join more than 20 entrepreneurs who have participated in the program since its inception in 2020.”
The four showed Small Business Spotlight businesses are:
- What’s Cutting (Brooklyn): This Brooklyn business offers handmade and sustainable pet products that are safe, functional, and stylish. Founder Jenna Chi (inspired by her dog, Sesame) uses her packaging design skills to create colorful products, including dog leashes, collars, and harnesses. Visit What a Cutie from Oct. 25 – Nov. 12.
- Doosra (Queens): Doosra is founder Kartik Das’ delicious, aromatic, salty, sweet, and dry take on the time-honored food he grew up eating. Based in Queens, Doosra creates modern Indian sweet concoctions that bring South Asian flavors and spices. Visit Doosra from November 13 – December 1.
- eat2explore (Manhattan): Manhattan-based eat2explore is focused on promoting global awareness and developing important life skills through cooking kits that highlight different countries and cultures. Inspired by memories of cooking with her family in Malaysia, Founder & CEO, Rowena Scherer, created ea2explore as a way for families to connect and learn together. Visit eat2explore from December 2 – December 18.
- Paige’s Candle Co. (Brooklyn): Based in Brooklyn, Paige’s Candle Co. specializes in handmade wax candles and rooms and linen cloths made with a variety of spices. Founder & Creative Director Paige Graham also hosts free candle-making workshops for residents in low-income communities to increase access to creative outlets and arts education. Visit Paige’s Candle Co. from December 19 – January 5.
“Being selected for the Bank of America Small Business Spotlight gave me the opportunity to test drive opening a store, and see what I needed to do behind the scenes to make opening a store a reality,” he said Beck Forney, Owner & Creative Director, Louise Goods. “Having this experience enabled me to make serious changes to my creative process before it became an expensive lesson and allowed me to build a new level of confidence. The pivoting, solving problems, reality checks, and surprising surprises along the way created the power of business growth. The lessons I learned were not something I could get from in a book or in a classroom, and that was really important. The Small Business Spotlight was a life-changing experience, and I’m really glad we did it.”
The five featured Bank of America Marketplace and Seneca Women booth vendors are:
- Pretty Curly Me (Atlanta, GA): Pretty Curly Me’s mission is to build confidence in little girls through products and content including cute Black dolls, puzzles, and books written by 12-year-old CEO, Zoe Oli. Visit Beautiful Curly Me from October. 25 – November 10.
- MAIKA (Oakland, CA): Founder Viola Sutanto creates designer bags and accessories with function and style in mind. Visit MAIKA from November 11 – November 24.
- La Cana (Mexico City, MX): Daniela Ancira is the Founder & CEO of La Cana. La Cana’s handmade children’s toys and accessories are made in workshops that provide employment and development opportunities for women in Mexican prisons to support recidivism and help reduce recidivism rates. Visit La Cana from November 25 – December 8.
- Mercado Global (Brooklyn, NY): Founded by Ruth Alvarez-DeGolia, Mercado Global is a nonprofit that helps support Indigenous women artisans and their communities in rural Latin America through business and education. Visit Mercado Global from December 9 – December 22.
- TWEE (Philadelphia, PA): TWEE, founded by Margaux DelCollo, offers handmade and eco-friendly products, designed to help children increase grip and motor skills while encouraging creativity. Visit TWEE from December 23 – January 5.
Celebrating more than 10 years of partnership between Bank of America and Bryant Park, the 12th season of the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park begins on October 25, 2024. Small Business Spotlight dates coincide with the Holiday Shops calendar and will be October 25, 2024, to January 5, 2025. Shops will be open weekdays from 11 am to 8 pm and weekends from 10 am to 8 pm (opening day will begin at noon).
The Small Business Spotlight booth can be found near the fountain, near the 41st Street and 6th Avenue entrance to Bryant Park. The Bank of America Marketplace and Seneca Women booth is located near the holiday tree behind the skating rink.
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and mid-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investment, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company offers an unparalleled presence in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business customers with 3,800 ATMs, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and an award-winning digital bank with 58 million digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a wide range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America provides industry-leading support to nearly 4 million home businesses through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations throughout the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. The company Bank of America Corporation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is best known as NYC’s only free admission ice skating rink. Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is open daily from October 25, 2024 to March 2, 2025 and in addition to The Rink, an annual winter event featuring fun, outdoor activities including The Holiday Shops and Urbanspace, delicious food and beverages served at The Lodge, the Curling Café, Cool Igloos, and Bumper Cars on Ice. For more information, go to WinterVillage.org.
Juan Soto, Bank of America
Phone: 1.7646.855.5252
Juan.Soto3@bofa.com
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