Mohammad Faraj: Supporting Cleveland Ward 7 Small Businesses

Long has the new Ward 7 — Detroit-Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont, the Flats, and all the spaces in between — been known for its beloved small businesses. Many of these small businesses made their commitment to these neighborhoods long before the community’s economic turnaround, which is a clear sign of loyalty that city leadership cannot ignore.

With the upcoming arrival of national chains, such as Chipotle and Starbucks, small business owners – and residents – are understandably wary of how that may affect the overall ecosystem of Cleveland’s near-west community.

“I believe empowering our local small business owners is the best way to help them navigate economic uncertainty and predatory investors, which we’re all facing right now,” shares Mohammad.

Empowering Local Businesses

Other cities employ a variety of methods to empower small businesses. Governments do so because they recognize just how important of a role small businesses play in keeping a community healthy.

Mohammad believes the councilperson has an important role to play in helping bridge any gap in understanding or communication between small businesses and the administration or even small businesses and the residents of the community.

“Bureaucracy can be confusing,” shares Mohammad, “especially if you are a small business owner who is navigating the same economy we’re all struggling to navigate.”

Sustainable Small Business Priority

Another significant driver of Mohammad’s Sustainable Small Business Priority is to ensure local businesses have access to non-predatory capital that allows them to keep up with the neighborhood but also not pass their costs along to the customers.

“In order to compete against national chains’ seemingly never-ending access to capital, I will work with the new Ward 7’s current and prospective small business owners and community-centered lenders to ensure financial empowerment.”

Mohammad also wants to explore other financial incentive models, like those that value high employee retention rates, as a way to incentivize shops that clearly value their workers.

“This is a great way to reward well-run businesses that can be seen in loyal and dedicated staff. And when I think about some of my favorite places in the ward I also think about how enjoyable it is to know the staff and develop that type of familiarity.”

Preserving Neighborhood Character

The character of this neighborhood stems from residents and local business owners alike who recognized its potential early on. Mohammad wants to continue supporting that spirit.