Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Keeping The "Local Love" Alive
While Valentine’s Day has come and gone, the spirit of supporting your main streets and downtowns is a year-round commitment. February is often a quiet month for retail and hospitality, making it the perfect time to double down on your "Love Your Local" initiatives. Your businesses are more than just storefronts; they are the heart of your communities, and NJBAC is here to ensure they have the pulse they need to thrive.

As we look toward the first buds of spring, NJBAC’s Business Enhancement Services are ready to help your district capitalize on your New Year momentum. Whether you’re analyzing post-holiday foot traffic or planning a spring "Main Street Refresh," reach out to NJBAC Business Enhancement to strategize. 

Featured Grants & Opportunities: February Update
Keep these active opportunities on your radar to help your business community grow:

• NJEDA – Main Street Acquisition Support Grant: This rolling program offers grants of up to $50,000 to reimburse eligible small businesses for closing costs when purchasing a commercial property. It’s a gamechanger for businesses looking to move from renting to owning.
• NJEDA – Historic Property Survey Grant: Closing Soon! This program, which provides funding for identifying and evaluating historic resources, will close on March 31, 2026. There is approximately $162,500 remaining in the allocation—act fast!
• NJEDA – Asset Activation Planning Grant (Round 4): Applications are still being accepted for planning grants up to $100,000 to help revitalize under-utilized public assets.
• U.S. Department of Transportation – Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant: This program provides grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. The eligibility requirements allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, Tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs.
• NJEDA – Reducing Emissions through Retrofits, Optimization, Fuel-switching, and Innovative Technologies (RETROFIT NJ) Grant: This is a $75 million pilot program launched to provide financial assistance to multi-pronged, large-scale retrofit projects that enable holistic energy improvements at buildings, campuses, and multi-building facilities. The program will provide grant awards ranging from $2.5 to $12.5 million to reimburse applicants for eligible hard and soft construction costs, including design, equipment, construction, and commissioning.
• T-Mobile Hometown Grants: Grants up to $50,000 for eligible small towns to fund transformational projects including revitalizing parks, upgrading technology, supporting public safety, and more. Deadline to apply is March 31, 2026.

Upcoming Virtual Trainings & Workshops

• DIY Marketing Audit: What’s Working and What’s Wasting Money: Wednesday, Feb 18 @ 4:00 PM. A tactical session with NJSBDC on streamlining your marketing spend.
• CPA 101: What Every Small Business Owner Should Know: Tuesday, Feb 24 @ 4:00 PM. Essential accounting tips for the current tax season.
• How to Start a Business in New Jersey: Thursday, Feb 24 @ 12:00 PM. A free informational workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Best Practices Corner: Late Winter Strategies

• The "Digital Curb Appeal" Audit: With the spring season approaching, now is the time for businesses to refresh their "Google My Business" photos and ensure their hours and information are correct.
• Post-President's Day Analysis: Use the data from the recent holiday weekend to identify which items moved fastest and use those insights to inform your spring inventory orders.
• "Meet the Maker" Series: Late February is a great time for social media spotlights. Highlighting the faces behind the businesses helps maintain that personal community connection established during the holidays.

Compliance & Regulatory Reminders

• Minimum Wage Check: Reminder that the NJ minimum wage is now $15.92/hour. Ensure all digital and physical labor posters reflect this 2026 update.
• Earned Sick Leave Guide: NJDOL recently released an updated guide to help small businesses navigate the Earned Sick Leave law.

Recommended Reading

• Preparing Downtowns for a Once-in-a-Generation Moment: FIFA World Cup 2026tm: Downtown NJ’s Natalie Pineiro discusses strategies that downtowns can utilize to prepare for the biggest soccer tournament in the world.
• Storefront Mastery’s 2026 Downtown Trends Report: Storefront Mastery’s Jaime Izurieta Varea has published a 2026 trends guide for downtowns looking to take their communities to the next level.
• Downtown Do’s and Don’ts for the Nation’s 250th Anniversary: Downtown NJ contributor Bradford Fay lists some essential advice to downtowns looking to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. 

Wishing you and your business community a healthy and productive transition into spring!

Ryan
Manager, Office of Business Enhancement
NJ Business Action Center 
Ryan.Gleason@sos.nj.gov 
609.633.6942