Framingham Business Resource Center Opens, Choose Framingham Holiday Gift Guide, Framingham’s Chocolate Therapy on Good Morning America and More! The Choose Framingham Newsletter

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Monthly Newsletter

November 30, 2021 | In This Issue

Framingham Business Resource Center Opens at Framingham Library

On November 1^st, the Framingham Public Library hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new Business Resource Center. The center provides tools and resources for the business sector, including support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It will also be a central clearinghouse of information specific to the City of Framingham and business development. Both databases of industry expertise and equipment will be available for use.

“The Framingham Public Library is so pleased to realize this long-term goal of partnering with City Departments to help create better access to resources for our business community. We hope everyone will take advantage of all the Business Resource Center offers including expert help, career development, free online courses, and the best resources available anywhere--all free and open to all,” Framingham Library Director Lena Kilburn told Choose Framingham.

The City received a $75,000 grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development’s FY ’21 Urban Agenda Grant Program. Staff from the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) and the City’s Division of Planning and Community Development (PCD) also advised on the project.

“This is an important resource for current and prospective business owners in Framingham,” said Erika Oliver Jerram, Acting Director of the Division of Planning and Community Development, about the new center. “It shows the commitment the City of Framingham has to supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.”

The new center, which is open to the public during normal library visiting hours, is found on the third floor of the library. For more information, please visit the Framingham Public Library website at https://framinghamlibrary.org/services/brc.

Framingham Continues Local Rapid Recovery Planning

The City of Framingham is awaiting approval from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after submitting its Local Rapid Recovery Program plan to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

In March 2021, the Baker-Polito administration made $9.5 million in grants available to 125 communities to help promote local downtown recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Framingham, with participation from the Mayor’s office and the Division of Planning and Community Development, partnered with Framingham’s Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) staff, Downtown Framingham, Inc., and regional planning agency Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), to develop an action agenda for Downtown Framingham.

Throughout the Spring and Summer, the City reached out to businesses in the community to determine their needs and presented their findings to the community to solicit further input. You can view that presentation here. Since then, staff has been hard at work refining the plan, which they have submitted to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for its final approval. The final plan will be available at the state’s website once approved.

“Prior to the pandemic, Framingham had seen significant job growth, and so we anticipate that the City is well-positioned for recovery,” said Erika Oliver Jerram, Acting Director of the City’s Division of Planning and Community Development. “This Local Rapid Recovery Plan has been instrumental in helping the City and other business stakeholders think through what will best help create jobs and an environment for economic development.”

WATCH: Small Business Workshop Helps Local Small Businesses

The Framingham Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) and Framingham Marketing Group (FMG) co-hosted a Small Business Workshop on Monday, November 8, 2021. Several local small business owners attended the workshop to hear from the FMG professionals who focused on the 10 steps to business success. Attendees learned how to achieve their business goals, the importance of engaging with their customers, and how to increase brand awareness.

Click here to watch the recording of the event. If you’d like to learn more about the professionals from FMG, visit their website.

Presenters/professionals from Framingham Marketing Group include:

Wayne Arthur, Speed Pro – Graphics & Signage
Bill Bluestein, Bilmar Sales – Promo Products
Nancy Cantor, Cantor Consulting – Business Coach
Kathleen DelPrete, DelPrete Consulting – Marketing
Ethan Gordon, Gordon Multimedia – Web & SEO
Adam Greene, Green Lens Media – Video Production
Travers King, Northern Lights Entertainment – Events
Rob Levine, Levine Design – Branding/Design
Teddy Sullivan, Scorpion Printing – Print
Chris Woolf, The Voice Depot – Voiceover Services

Choose Framingham Holiday Shopping Guide

It’s that time of year! The holidays are coming and as you prepare to shop, Framingham businesses do too. We at Choose Framingham have once again put together a holiday shopping guide so that you can easily find what you are looking for while supporting local businesses. From handcrafted goods and art to coffee roasters and pet stores, this list will give you a broad variety of options to find the perfect gifts or food to share with your loved ones during this holiday season. Below, we offer more detail on some of Framingham’s shopping spots.

Dulce D Leche

Looking for a beautiful box of chocolates for that sweets lover? Dulce D Leche has it! They recommend treating complex flavors of chocolates as a fine wine or whiskey, as these flavors take a second to develop in your mouth.

Dulce D Leche also offers a wide range of desserts, cookies, gelatos, and much more to be part of your table for these holidays. Their Framingham location is at 5 Edgell Road and operates from Monday to Sunday 9:30 a.m to 9:00 p.m. Follow them on Instagram @dulcedleche or Facebook.

Framed in Time’s Artful Gift Gallery

If looking for an exciting shopping experience, Framed in Time’s Artful Gift Gallery has a plethora of art and handcrafted items that are not easily found. They exhibit the works of local artists that produce goods in pottery, jewelry, glassware, candles, small sculptures, and more.

You can find them at Framed in Time at 2 Central Street. They are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and during the holidays they will be open on Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Follow them on Facebook to learn more.

SKM Collection

If instead you are looking for jewelry, accessories, and clothes, SKM Collection has a wide selection of these for you to choose from. They offer tops, sweaters, leggings, jeans, and more when it comes to their clothes selection, and necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in their jewelry collection.

SKM Collection is located at 419 Worcester Road and their hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook, or visit their website to learn more.

Framingham Business Leaders Series: David and Pamela Griffin, Founders of Chocolate Therapy

In this second installment of Framingham Business Leaders Series, David and Pamela Griffin - founders of Chocolate Therapy - joined us to talk about their business and experiences in Framingham. The Business Leaders series focuses on video interviews with for-profit and non-profit executives in Framingham discussing their insights into economic development in the City of Framingham.

In this installment, David and Pamela Griffin discuss with Acting Director of the Division of Planning and Community Development, Erika Oliver Jerram, the challenges they faced as a retail business during the pandemic and how it helped them evolve. They also talk about how the Black Lives Matter movement impacted them as a local business and shared with us an exciting surprise - how their recent interview with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America came about! (The interview was filmed prior to their appearance on that show). You can watch the full video here.