Richmond celebrates Small Business Appreciation Week with community event

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As part of Small Business Appreciation Week, Bridging Virginia, Culinary Concepts AB and the Metropolitan Business League hosted a community celebration on Wednesday at Studio Two-Three, spotlighting local entrepreneurs and offering resources for those looking to start or grow their businesses.

"This is our second year in business, and each year we feel like, 'Okay, we got this,'" said Maly Fung-Angarita, co-owner of Con Salsa, at the May 7 community event. "And then we get hit left or right with things that we just couldn't predict."

Between federal funding cuts, inflation driven by tariffs and the January water crisis, plenty of obstacles have been thrown at Richmond small businesses in 2025.

"That's [the water crisis] an entire week’s [worth] of revenue," Fung-Angarita said. "Then you have to worry about paying your employees. You have to worry about paying bills. Luckily, we weren't impacted as bad."

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For some businesses during that week, losses reached into the thousands. In response, Richmond launched a Small Business Recovery Grant, but demand outpaced available funds.

“I would be the first to say I know it wasn't enough,” said Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. “But I hope that what it did was communicate to you all, and to this community, that we recognized the impact that this had on our small businesses.”

Beyond celebrating the contributions of small businesses, Wednesday’s event also served as a platform to share available resources and connect entrepreneurs with support networks.

"This event represents the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is Bridging Virginia and Culinary Concepts and all of the businesses in the 1717 collective," said Antwon-Brinson, a founder at Culinary Concepts AB. "We all come together to provide resources, training and support for small businesses."

While financial support from the city may have run out, attendees said the recognition alone made a difference.

"The fact that he's here, supporting us, makes me feel that it matters [to him,]" Fund-Angarita said of Avula's attendance on Wednesday. "And that he sees the importance that we bring to the community."

JPMorgan Chase also announced $780,000 in philanthropic funds for organizations that help small business owners, including the Metropolitan Business League, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Virginia and the Virginia Hispanic Foundation. You can read about how the money will be used by each initiative here.