Nearly two dozen bars, restaurants and entertainment businesses have each been awarded $5,000 grants by the city of Erie to help mitigate financial losses they suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grants, totaling $110,000, were approved by Erie City Council on Wednesday.
The city received a $76 million allocation of federal American Rescue Plan funds from the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus bill, signed into law in 2021 by President Joe Biden to aid in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Council previously signed off on a plan by Mayor Joe Schember to assist local businesses, reduce blight, help fund environmental cleanups, support local artists, help city bars, restaurants/ and entertainment businesses offset COVID-19 related losses and fund other initiatives using roughly $17 million in ARP funds.
ARP plan:$17 million to help restaurants, businesses, spur development
The grant recipients, all located within the city of Erie:
- Andora’s Bubble Tea Shop
- Sullivan’s Pub & Eatery
- El Canelo VI, Inc.
- Cappabianca Travel
- Chipper’s Seafood & Southern Fusion
- Smuggler’s Wharf
- All An Act Theatre Productions
- Pineapple Eddie Southern Bistro
- Room 33, LLC
- U Pick 6 Tap House
- Bay House/Pier 6
- Andy’s Ale House & Grill
- Altered State Distillery
- Molly Brannigan’s Pub, LLC
- Ember & Forge
- Franco’s Café
- Like My Thai
- Cloud 9 Wine Bar & Restaurant
- Dafmark Dance Theater
- Skipperino’s Pizzeria, Inc.
- MiScuzi Ristorante
- 3 Guys Chicken
The $5,000 request for Andy’s sparked debate at Erie City Council’s regular meeting on Wednesday night because of concerns about the business’ dress code and whether it is discriminatory or vague.
Dress Code questions:West Erie bar’s $5K grant request scrutinized
The Rev. Lamont A. Higginbottom Sr., pastor of Erie’s Second Baptist Church and president of the African American Concerned Clergy of Erie, posted on his personal Facebook page Sunday that he and his wife had been asked to leave Andy’s that afternoon after being told they were dressed “inappropriately for the establishment.”
Higginbottom, who is Black, said he was wearing sweatpants, a hoodie and boots and felt the Andy’s dress code was an example of “microaggression” aimed at excluding certain groups, including people of color.
Andy’s co-owner Paul Schofield said that attire and various other items of clothing are prohibited by a dress code at Andy’s that goes back 40 years and that the business does not discriminate.
Council members voted 7-0 to approve all 22 of the grants, including the allocation for Andy’s, at the panel’s regular meeting on Wednesday. Council President Liz Allen was among those who said Higginbottom’s experience was not reason enough to reject the Andy’s grant.
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers.
