New York City Entrepreneurs Selected for Fifth-Annual Small Business Spotlight at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

NEW YORK, NY – Bank of America today announced the four New York City-based small business beneficiaries of this year’s Bank of America Small Business Spotlight program at the iconic Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. Each business will showcase and sell its products at a rent-free booth in the Bank of America Winter Village Holiday Shops for over two weeks each. The four local entrepreneurs and businesses will have the opportunity to reach new customers at one of the city’s top winter shopping and tourist destinations and Bank of America will cover shop rental fees and coordinate the basic build-out of the shop.

Additionally, the Bank of America Marketplace by Seneca Women booth, sponsored by Bank of America, will also return to the Holiday Shops for a second year. In 2023, the bank and Seneca Women launched the Bank of America Marketplace by Seneca Women, an online marketplace that provides women entrepreneurs with access to new markets and consumers. Throughout the winter season, customers will have the chance to shop in person at the booth, which will feature five women-owned businesses from the U.S. and Mexico.

Last year, the more than 180 holiday shops at Bryant Park, including the four Small Business Spotlight vendors and four Bank of America Marketplace by Seneca Women booth businesses, generated approximately $40 million in sales during the season.

“Entrepreneurs and small businesses help drive New York City’s economy and are the backbone of our local communities,” said José Tavarez, president, Bank of America New York City. “Bank of America is committed to helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses and we look forward to welcoming this year’s Small Business Spotlight participants to the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park Holiday Shops. This rent-free Small Business Spotlight booth will help these businesses connect with new customers and sell their products in this vibrant setting without incurring additional overhead expenses. This year’s business owners join a network of more than 20 entrepreneurs who have participated in this program since it launched in 2020.”

The four featured Small Business Spotlight businesses are:

• What a Cutie (Brooklyn): This Brooklyn-based business offers handcrafted and customizable pet accessories that are safe, functional, and stylish. Founder Jenna Chi (inspired by her dog, Sesame) uses her packaging design training to create colorful products, including dog leashes, collars, and harnesses. Visit What a Cutie from Oct. 25 – Nov. 12.
• Doosra (Queens): Doosra is founder Kartik Das’ savory, spicy, salty, sweet, and crunchy take on the chai-time snacks he grew up eating. Based in Queens, Doosra produces modern Indian snack mixes that deliver South Asian flavors and ingredients. Visit Doosra from Nov. 13 – Dec. 1.
• eat2explore (Manhattan): Manhattan-based eat2explore is focused on fostering global awareness and cultivating essential life skills through cooking kits that highlight different countries and cultures. Inspired by memories of cooking with her family in Malaysia, Founder & CEO, Rowena Scherer, created eat2explore as a way for families to connect and learn together. Visit eat2explore from Dec. 2 – Dec. 18.
• Paige’s Candle Co. (Brooklyn): Based in Brooklyn, Paige’s Candle Co. specializes in crafting handmade soy wax candles and room and linen sprays made with unique scent combinations. Founder & Creative Director Paige Graham also hosts free candle-making workshops for residents in low-income communities to increase access to creative outlets and art education. Visit Paige’s Candle Co. from Dec. 19 – Jan. 5.

“Being chosen for the Bank of America Small Business Spotlight gave me the chance to test drive opening a store, and find out what I needed to troubleshoot behind the scenes to make opening a store a reality,” said Beck Forney, Owner & Creative Director, Louise Goods. “Having this experience enabled me to make critical changes to my production workflow before they became expensive lessons and allowed me to build a new layer of confidence. The pivoting, problem-solving, reality checks, and great surprises along the way created momentum for the growth of the business. The lessons I learned weren’t something I could have gotten from a book or a class, and that was honestly priceless. The Small Business Spotlight was a life-changing experience, and I’m really glad we did it.”

The five featured Bank of America Marketplace by Seneca Women booth vendors are:

• Beautiful Curly Me (Atlanta, GA): Beautiful Curly Me’s mission is to build confidence in young girls through products and content including beautiful Black dolls, puzzles, and books written by 12-year-old CEO, Zoe Oli. Visit Beautiful Curly Me from Oct. 25 – Nov. 10.
• MAIKA (Oakland, CA): Founder Viola Sutanto designs sustainably made bags and accessories with functionality and style in mind. Visit MAIKA from Nov. 11 – Nov. 24.
• La Cana (Mexico City, MX): Daniela Ancira is the Founder & CEO of La Cana. La Cana’s handmade baby toys and ornaments are crafted in workshops that provide job and personal development opportunities for women in Mexico’s prisons to support reintegration and help reduce recidivism rates. Visit La Cana from Nov. 25 – Dec. 8.
• Mercado Global (Brooklyn, NY): Founded by Ruth Alvarez-DeGolia, Mercado Global is a nonprofit accessory brand that helps support Indigenous women artisans and their communities in rural Latin America through entrepreneurship and education. Visit Mercado Global from Dec. 9 – Dec. 22.
• TWEE (Philadelphia, PA): TWEE, founded by Margaux DelCollo, offers chalk products that are handmade and eco-friendly, designed to help children increase grip strength and fine motor skills while encouraging creativity. Visit TWEE from Dec. 23 – Jan. 5.

Celebrating more than a decade of partnership between Bank of America and Bryant Park, the 12th season of Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park begins on October 25, 2024. The Small Business Spotlight dates align with the Holiday Shops calendar and will run October 25, 2024, through January 5, 2025. Shops will be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (opening day will begin at noon).

The Small Business Spotlight booth can be found near the fountain, close to the 41st Street and 6th Avenue entrance to Bryant Park. The Bank of America Marketplace by Seneca Women booth is located near the holiday tree behind the skating rink.

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,800 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 58 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is popularly known as NYC’s only free admission ice skating rink. Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is open daily from October 25, 2024 through March 2, 2025 and in addition to The Rink, the annual winter event features fun, outdoor activities including The Holiday Shops by Urbanspace, delicious food and drink offerings at The Lodge, the Curling Café, Cozy Igloos, and Bumper Cars on Ice. For more information, go to WinterVillage.org.

Juan Soto, Bank of America   
Phone: 1.7646.855.5252
Juan.Soto3@bofa.com