FORT PLAINE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Montgomery County has given aid to small business owners. One grantee shared how the $15,000 reward will help grow their business and local economy.
Stephanie Sellick is co-owner of Sleepy Forest Bakeshop. The company is one of 16 recipients of the county's microenterprise grant program.
“I'm very happy to have been chosen and I'm truly honored to have been chosen,” Selick said.
The Montgomery County Business Development Center awarded grants ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 to local business owners, all aimed at stimulating economic growth.
Sleepy Forest Bakeshop received $15,000. Selick said this gave him the opportunity to expand his company's products.
“We bring some people here, but it helps them discover other places around them and it helps build the local economy,” Selick said.
The grant is helping to purchase new equipment, including a sourdough bread oven.
“We need more sourdough bread in this county. We need a special oven to make really delicious, flaky sourdough bread because a lot of our customers are really asking for it,” Sellick said. Ta.
She wants to start classes in sourdough bread making and hopes to have it up and running by summer.
Sleepy Forest takes pride in sourcing locally sourced ingredients, and we want to take it to the next level by deepening our partnerships with our chefs. Many cooks already receive their own subsidies.
“We have some customers who come to our house and we know they’re really good cooks. A lot of the farmers around here are actually good cooks and do their own catering, so we work with those people. We look forward to partnering and working together,” Selick said.
The Montgomery County Business Development Center said the Microenterprise Grant Program highlights the innovative spirit of the city's small business sector and was made possible by the New York State Community Development Block Grant.
The center said the program is necessary because Montgomery County's median income is lower than the state and U.S. median incomes.
Sellick looks forward to helping more people discover things to do in Montgomery County.
“In this case, we're right on Main Street, so that helps bring people into the community and brings new people here who are going to all the other businesses,” Sellick said.
She said she will work to adjust the schedule for sourdough making classes, adding that people are looking forward to the bakery hosting more events.