Editor’s Note: After we published this story yesterday, we asked about a recipient that seemed odd to us – Ascot Diamonds, Inc. a chain jewelry store that received $20,582 but did not appear to have a store in Durham. Today, Deputy City Manager Keith Chadwell told us they had sent us the wrong list and gave us a new list without Ascot Diamonds included.
Why was Ascot Diamonds included on the first list? Chadwell told us that was a mistake of the city’s vendor, Carolina Small Business Development Fund, due to a “data population error.”
We’re retaining the list below, with Ascot Diamonds, since that is what the city originally sent us. We’ve posted the new spreadsheet the city sent us today here. It also contains changes in the list of loan recipients, removing Ascot and adding a $10,807 loan to Quality Academy Home Daycare.
Just a reminder: The 9th Street Journal filed a public records request for this list July 23, so the city has had almost six weeks to get us the correct list.
– Bill Adair
An eclectic group of businesses ranging from bars to nail salons to a head shop received grants or loans from the city’s COVID-19 small business relief program, according to records released Monday.
The city had been boasting about the program for weeks but didn’t release the list of recipients until Monday after a public records request from The 9th Street Journal. Among them: a $10,000 grant for Hunky Dory, a store specializing in “beer, records and dankness,” a $10,000 grant for artist Maya Freelon – the sister of just-appointed City Council member Pierce Freelon – and a $20,000 loan for Pour Taproom.
Local businesses got about $915,000 from a $1 million Duke University contribution for grants and $225,000 in loans from Durham’s $2 million fund. Eight businesses got loans that averaged about $28,000 and 124 got grants that averaged $7,500.
Of the 124 grants, 19 were given to barber shops, hair salons, nail salons or other personal care businesses and 15 were given to food and beverage-related businesses. As for the loans, two were given to bars or breweries, two to beauty and nail salons, one jewelry store, one plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractor, a restaurant and a mental health/substance abuse treatment facility.
In July, Durham had boasted of giving out hundreds of thousands in relief in a several-month process, but city officials said they didn’t know which businesses got the cash until now. Carolina Small Business Development Fund (CSBDF), a Raleigh-based small business lending nonprofit which managed the program, had committed to disclosing to Durham which businesses got the money monthly but did not comply with that requirement.
A full list of the grants and loans can be found below.
July Grants
| Amy T Farrar DDS PLLC 2020-6-25 | $10,000.00 |
| Cargo and Co LLC 2020-6-18 | $5,837.00 |
| Living Arts Collective 2020-6-19 | $8,480.67 |
| Re Entertainment 2020-6-18 | $907.17 |
| southern cross group llc 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| LE NAIL SPA 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| A1 lock and safe of North Carolina Inc 2020-6-26 | $10,000.00 |
| Durham School for Ballet and the Performing Arts 2020-6-26 | $10,000.00 |
| Carson Efird LLC 2020-6-26 | $10,000.00 |
| Bungalow LLC 2020-6-20 | $10,000.00 |
| Heal Tree LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Happymess at Outsiders 2020-6-18 | $8,779.86 |
| HUNKY DORY DURHAM LLC 2020-6-19 | $10,000.00 |
| Blackspace LLC 2020-6-18 | $8,123.00 |
| Brown Jiu Jitsu Academy 2020-6-27 | $10,000.00 |
| Indulge Catering LLC 2020-6-26 | $10,000.00 |
| Goes to 11 LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Blue Corn Inc 2020-6-28 | $10,000.00 |
| The Bella Shea Ramirez LLC 2020-6-22 | $5,637.83 |
| Family Greens 2020-6-27 | $10,000.00 |
| 36 North LLC 2020-6-25 | $10,000.00 |
| Rogue Business Solutions LLC 2020-6-18 | $7,179.83 |
| Allure Me The Hair Estate INC 2020-6-19 | $6,385.00 |
| LUXURY NAILS SPA 2020-6-19 | $10,000.00 |
| Rock Fury Industries LLC 2020-6-18 | $6,524.83 |
| Lucys Pet Care LLC 2020-6-23 | $10,000.00 |
| AGT Express LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Denoble Law PLLC 2020-6-28 | $10,000.00 |
| MA Solucion Professional Inc 2020-6-27 | $1,704.17 |
| SA Core LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Omar Beasley Bail Agency 2020-6-25 | $10,000.00 |
| Point A B Consulting 2020-6-28 | $5,638.00 |
| Wendy Allen 2020-6-25 | $10,000.00 |
| Allways Handy Home and Garden LLC 2020-6-28 | $2,102.00 |
| Mid South Fencers Club Inc 2020-6-26 | $10,000.00 |
| A2Z College Planning 2020-6-25 | $6,230.00 |
| MTS Speech and Language Services Inc 2020-6-24 | $10,000.00 |
| The Endurance Collective 2020-6-21 | $6,118.17 |
| Kendall Corporation LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Wright DIY LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Elevate MMA Academy LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| MICHAEL E POCINKI 2020-6-28 | $340.67 |
| Comfort CUisine 2020-6-27 | $1,722.00 |
| Yama Inc 2020-6-19 | $10,000.00 |
| The Famous Chicken Hut 2020-6-20 | $10,000.00 |
| Lets Eat Soul Food llc 2020-6-26 | $113.17 |
| TGX Development LLC 2020-6-24 | $4,270.50 |
| The Curated Curl and Co Hair Loft 2020-6-19 | $9,601.00 |
| The Law Office of Katie A Lawson PLLC 2020-6-18 | $6,042.00 |
| Nancy Frame Design LLC 2020-6-24 | $6,301.00 |
| Yinsome Group LLC 2020-6-25 | $1,293.17 |
| HuthPhoto LLC 2020-6-26 | $3,907.33 |
| Stan Coffman 2020-6-24 | $10,000.00 |
| Principal Janitorial Services LLC 2020-6-22 | $2,259.50 |
| Empower Dance Studio 2020-6-24 | $8,203.17 |
| Suzanne Faulkner 2020-6-26 | $5,190.00 |
| Pro Shop Solutions LLC 2020-6-24 | $7,526.83 |
| The ZEN Succulent LLC 2020-6-26 | $10,000.00 |
| Scatterbugs Vintage Inc 2020-6-24 | $10,000.00 |
| The Artisan Market at 305 LLC 2020-6-19 | $3,424.50 |
| Triangle car Service llc 2020-6-23 | $10,000.00 |
| Sonic Pie Productions LLC 2020-6-22 | $8,949.17 |
| Jeannette Brossart 2020-6-28 | $2,141.00 |
| doora arts and crafts 2020-6-28 | $2,583.67 |
| Methodical Magic LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| JMS Catering 2020-6-23 | $2,064.67 |
| Medrano 1205 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| VILLAGE ITALIAN PIZZERIA LLC 2020-6-23 | $10,000.00 |
| PARKS BARBER SHOP 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| John William Scotton 2020-6-22 | $5,101.83 |
| Lakewood Hairquarters and Retail Inc 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Nailz 2020-6-28 | $5,057.50 |
| BCause It Takes A Village LLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Rushin Global LLC 2020-6-18 | $5,514.17 |
| George Stevens Insurance Agency Inc 2020-6-19 | $10,000.00 |
| Judith Romanowski Attorney PLLC 2020-6-18 | $10,000.00 |
| Next Level Tax Services 2020-6-19 | $3,278.67 |
| Community Expert Solutions Inc 2020-6-26 | $3,338.33 |
| PecanBacks Inc 2020-6-24 | $10,000.00 |
| Tysha h Cox 2020-7-19 | $3,694.33 |
| Echo Family Group Inc 2020-7-22 | $10,000.00 |
| NewSchoolInvestmentsLLC 2020-7-20 | $6,856.17 |
| Little Mangum Studio LLC 2020-7-23 | $6,154.50 |
| Alpha Nano Tech LLC 2020-7-20 | $10,000.00 |
| United KB LLC 2020-7-24 | $10,000.00 |
| Kathy Smith Yoga LLC 2020-7-22 | $10,000.00 |
| Alexandra Hamer 2020-7-22 | $2,874.00 |
| Green Ribbon LLC 2020-7-24 | $10,000.00 |
| The Pinhook 2020-7-23 | $10,000.00 |
| Maya Freelon LLC 2020-7-24 | $10,000.00 |
| Scorpions School Of Martial Arts 2020-7-21 | $4,270.17 |
| Triangle Gluten Free LLC 2020-7-20 | $853.67 |
| Vo Family LLC 2020-7-23 | $10,000.00 |
| Rapid Results Fitness 2020-7-24 | $10,000.00 |
| October Forever 2020-7-22 | $1,341.67 |
| SOLAY Counseling and Research Center 2020-7-27 | $9,605.67 |
| CC AND P ASSOCIATES LLC 2020-7-27 | $10,000.00 |
| True Colors In Home Daycare 2020-7-27 | $2,311.67 |
| Modu Martial Arts 2020-7-29 | $10,000.00 |
| The Pampered Woman 2020-7-28 | $10,000.00 |
| Full Strength Flexibility 2020-7-28 | $4,780.00 |
| Veda K Brewer 2020-7-29 | $779.33 |
| Croissanteria LLC 2020-7-27 | $6,197.17 |
August Grants
| Matthews Somatics LLC 2020-8-3 | $3,017.00 |
| Jadas Mens Accessories 2020-8-1 | $549.17 |
| Shirley S Abraham 2020-8-2 | $2,718.83 |
| Getaway Travel Inc 2020-7-30 | $10,000.00 |
| Elegant Nail 2020-8-6 | $10,000.00 |
| Last Minute Event Planning 2020-8-11 | $637.50 |
| Wood Water LLC 2020-8-11 | $10,000.00 |
| Clean Hands Painting LLC 2020-8-5 | $10,000.00 |
| LEE NAILS 2020-8-14 | $10,000.00 |
| A AND P PAINTING INC 2020-8-13 | $10,000.00 |
| Borders Barbershop LLC 2020-8-4 | $5,629.50 |
| HT Travel Inc 2020-8-20 | $8,742.67 |
| WORLD CLASS TAKWONDO ACADEMY 2020-8-20 | $10,000.00 |
| HOLSEN C VASQUEZ MENDEZ 2020-8-20 | $10,000.00 |
| LE NAIL SPA 2020-8-25 | $10,000.00 |
| Luxury Nails Spa 2020-8-25 | $10,000.00 |
| Principal Janitorial Services LLC 2020-8-25 | $2,259.50 |
| Infinity Benefits Group Inc 2020-8-24 | $3,894.67 |
| CASTRO REMODELIN LLC 2020-8-22 | $10,000.00 |
| Glimmer and Glow LLC 2020-8-23 | $2,465.00 |
| Ronalds Unisex Barbershop 2020-8-27 | $7,948.50 |
Loans
| Jayk’s,LLc 2020-7-2 | $30,000.00 |
| The Glass Jug 2020-6-19 | $35,000.00 |
| Fernandez Community Center, LLC 2020-6-21 | $35,000.00 |
| Celine Vu, INC 2020-6-22 | $33,000.00 |
| Silver Spoon Restaurant 2020-7-10 | $35,000.00 |
| Saloon Salon, LLC 2020-6-18 | $15,000.00 |
| Ascot Diamonds, Inc. 2020-6-26 | $20,582.00 |
| Quad Triangle Taproom LLC 2020-6-18 | $20,000.00 |
9th Street Journal staff writer Ben Leonard can be reached at ben.leonard@duke.edu
