Open for Business in Downtown Wilmington DE

Downtown Wilmington DE is home to hundreds of small businesses ready to serve you! Use this directory to search what businesses are currently open for business.

As Delaware continues to safely ease restrictions and establishments return to more normal operations, please be sure to follow all City, State, and CDC guidelines, and check with businesses for additional safety precautions during your visit.

For help traveling to Downtown Wilmington DE during the ongoing I-95 construction, please visit www.restorethecorridor.com for up-to-date traffic information, an interactive map, and alternate routes. For information on parking in Downtown Wilmington DE, please click here.

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We rely on our small business community to create thriving neighborhoods for our residents and visitors every day. During this time of uncertainty, we need to do all we can to support these businesses, and their staff, by: dining in, ordering takeout, purchasing gift cards, following them on social media, spreading the word about their offers, or posting a positive review.

Please consider helping our small business owners and #ShopSmall during this crisis and always!

If you are looking for additional ways to support these businesses and help them bounce back from COVID-19, please consider donating to the Wilmington Strong Fund, which offers grants to small businesses within the City of Wilmington to ensure they remain open for business for years to come.

New Resources for Small Business Relief & Recovery: January 2021

Downtown Visions is committed to helping our Downtown Wilmington DE establishments get back to business. A number of organizations have created funding opportunities in the wake of the pandemic to ensure our small businesses remain open for years to come. If you have any questions about which fund is right your businesses, don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.

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DE Relief Grants Program has begun accepting new applications as of January 19th, 2020. This means that small businesses and nonprofit organizations that have not applied in earlier rounds will have the opportunity to apply for this relief program presented by the

For those who have already applied for the DE Relief Grants program, the Division of Small Business is continuing to process applications as quickly as possible.

Wilmington Strong Fund is still accepting applications for $1000 Grants! The Fund has provided in total $117,000 to Wilmington small businesses. The majority of grant funds have been distributed to low to moderate-income, minority-owned, and women-owned small businesses.

• 67% of awards went to minority business owners

• 51% went to women-owned businesses

• 83% of grant recipients have revenues less than $200,000

Economic Injury Disaster Loan deadline has been extended by the SBA to apply for a COVID-19 pandemic December 31, 2021.

Loans are offered at affordable terms, including a 3.75% interest rate for small businesses and 2.75% for non-profit organizations, a 30-year maturity, and an automatic deferment of one year before monthly payments begin. All eligible small businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to apply.

At Your Side Grant is a Small Business Grant Program providing grants of $5,000 to $10,000 on a competitive basis. The program will support brick-and-mortar small businesses in designated Main Street districts as they work to adapt to COVID-19 and prepare for the next phases of reopening across the country, while also helping to revitalize and strengthen older and historic commercial corridors.

Applications will open at 12pm on Thursday, January 21 and continue to be accepted through Thursday, January 28 at 7:59pm.

Ascent is a FREE learning program for Women entrepreneurs from the Small Business Administration. Women own or co-own 45% of all businesses in the United States. The majority are small, with great potential for growth in both revenues and job creation. That’s why the Small Business Administration has created Ascent and packed it with in-depth information to help you grow your business!

The Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce is proud to be the newest member of the National Black Chamber family! Joining the National Black Chambers will provide us with a platform to engage, educate and empower, established businesses, business owners, as well as future entrepreneurs. We will commit our resources of people, time, information and capital toward providing opportunities that create wealth and equity within our communities.

Minority Small Business Grants are an important source of money to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Grants to minority-owned businesses are key, not just to the businesses themselves, but to the overall economy. A recent analysis of Census Bureau data from 2017 showed barely 4 in 10 (41%) business owners were white males. Of the 30.5 million total business owners, 6.5 million were owned by men of color. To learn more about what grants are available for minority small business owner click on the link below.

Guide to women entrepreneurs on closing the gap. How to overcome obstacles as a female entrepreneur.

SCORE offers a list of startup resources as you learn what it takes to start a business or find a local mentor to help your business today.

Chamber of Commerce offers a free comprehensive Covid-19 reopening guide for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Included are guidelines and useful reopening resources.

Click to visit our previous blog with more small business assistance resources!

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Need help completing your loan applications?

The focus of the Delaware Small Business Development Center (DSBDC), is to develop and support entrepreneurship throughout the State of Delaware by free one-on-one counseling to understand their needs and assist them in a path forward. They offer free assistance to small businesses with business planning, financial services, marketing, and technology. To request a free session with a consultant from their Newark location, complete the form here.

True Access Capital offers free assistance to small businesses with their loan application package, business planning process, and follow-up services. This assistance helps prepare potential borrowers for the application/underwriting process and it helps existing borrowers remain sustainable, once the loan has been made. To learn more about True Access Capital’s Technical Assistance services, email ctymes@firststateloan.org or complete a Request for Counseling Form

Delaware SCORE has been mentoring new and existing businesses for over 50 years and has a network of over 40 volunteers who donate their time to help entrepreneurs start new or improve existing small businesses and non-profits. SCORE Delaware's 40+ volunteer counselors' combined experience and knowledge could match most Business School faculties. Browse mentor profiles to find your ideal expert. Request a Delaware SCORE mentor.

Winter Ready Grants Offer Comfortable Outdoor Dining in Downtown Wilmington DE

Image Credit: Local_boy_photography

Earlier this fall, New Castle County announced its Winter Ready Restaurant Grant program in an effort to support local Delaware restaurants as they prepared their outdoor spaces for colder climates. These grants have allowed several of our Downtown Wilmington DE restaurants to keep outdoor dining a viable and comfortable option for restaurant goers with additional heaters, lighting, and furniture,

Restaurants, such as Bardea, have used these grants to expand their outdoor seating for comfortable open-air dining. Bardea co-owner Scott Stein wants the restaurant to be a safe space for customers to feel good knowing protocol is being taken seriously and they can step away from the current struggles and enjoy a good meal.

“I just want people to feel comfortable,” he says.

The Bardea Winter Garden is open for reservation along with many other Downtown Wilmington DE restaurants that have benefited from the Winter Ready Grants. Please visit them today and continue to support small during this difficult time.

• Bardea Food & Drink

• Chelsea Tavern

• Cafe Mezzanotte

• Stitch House Brewery

• Makers Alley

• IM Coffee

• La Fia

• Tonic Seafood & Steak

• Green Box Kitchen

• DECO Food Hall

• Eat Clean Juice Bar

Applications are still being accepted for Winter Ready Grants. For more information, click here.

Support Downtown Wilmington Businesses And Win $25!

Support Downtown Wilmington DE small businesses through our social media contest! Share a recent purchase from a Downtown Wilmington business on social media for a chance to win a $25 gift card to one of our local small businesses.

1. Use #ILoveDowntownWilmDE
2. Tag the business you supported
3. Tag @downtownwilmde

We will pick a lucky winner each week to receive the gift card!

Thank You Donate Delaware For Supporting Downtown Visions!

Thank you Donate Delaware for generously supplying Downtown Visions with personal protective gear to help keep our ambassadors safe while serving the Downtown community seven days a week! 

Donate Delaware collects critically needed items from businesses or community members who have supplies that they do not currently need for Delaware’s first responders and healthcare organizations. Please support all of our essential workers by going to donatede.org and help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.