Skip to content

Nantucket Chamber of Commerce Announces the First Recipients of Rock Solid Grants

NANTUCKET, Mass. (January 13, 2021) — Today, The Nantucket Island Chamber of
Commerce is pleased to announce it has awarded $20,000 in grants to local small
businesses owners, to help them fund innovative projects in response to the
challenges of operating during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

With the support of ReMain Ventures, The Chamber’s Rock Solid Fund was
established in late 2020 with the purpose of providing micro-grants to help local,
established businesses accelerate their recovery from economic challenges such
as Covid-19. After completing a rigorous application process, four companies
were selected by a review committee to receive $5,000 grants:

 

  • The Chicken Box, a well-know, year-round entertainment venue and important
    supporter of island non-profits, will launch an expanded and enhanced online
    store for its merchandise.  This will enable them to generate revenue this winter
    as they await the ability to operate as a live venue.

 

  • The Beet, a downtown, year-round restaurant focused on healthy cuisine will
    launch a digital cooking show series featuring Chef Felino’s signature recipes, to
    generate awareness of and sales for their family meal offerings this winter.

 

  • Current Vintage, a downtown boutique offering unique vintage clothing, home
    goods and wine, will launch an expanded online store to feature its constantly
    changing inventory of clothing and goods.  This will enable them to generate
    revenue this spring while adhering to state Covid restrictions.

 

  • Fogged In Bookkeeping is managing an inventory purchasing automation project,
    working with local restaurants Nautilus Nantucket, Gaslight, Or, The Whale and
    Sandbar.  The project will enable restaurants to make data-driven decisions to
    save money and maximize revenue during and after the pandemic.

 

 

ReMain Ventures provided $20,000 to seed the fund, with a commitment for
additional funding for 2021. The Chamber will continue to administer the fund
through its Nantucket Island Center for Entrepreneurship (NICE), with the next
round of grants to be awarded this spring. Additional information, including
eligibility criteria and applications, can be found on NantucketChamber.org/Rock-
Solid-Fund.

 

The Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce is the primary business advocacy
organization on Nantucket representing more than 750 island businesses. Partnering
with the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, the Chamber also implements
domestic and international tourism initiatives to promote the island’s economic
development to its vital tourism entities.

 

ReMain Ventures and ReMain Nantucket were founded by philanthropist Wendy
Schmidt to support the economic, social, and environmental vitality of the island of
Nantucket. ReMain Ventures invests in buildings and businesses that work to
strengthen the island’s year-round economy.  Its projects seek to spark for-profit
innovation and dependable job creation to bring long term value to the island and its
residents. ReMain Ventures has worked in conjunction with ReMain Nantucket to
revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings
that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 13, 2021

grants@nantucketchamber.org

508-228-1700