Glenview magician Randy Bernstein couldn’t make COVID-19 disappear but he is one of dozens of businesses in the north suburb that recently learned they got as much as $20,000 in grant money from Cook County to “foster resiliency in the post-pandemic economy.”
“This is truly a magical experience for me,” said Bernstein, who has operated, Magic By Randy Inc. in Glenview for more than 20 years.
“I feel very fortunate and excited to be able to continue to perform as a living,” he said. “I’ve got friends whose businesses were lost in COVID, other entertainer friends.”
The 2023 Source Grants are from Cook County and are part of a $50 million “investment in both city neighborhoods and suburban communities” in the wake of COVID-19. Small businesses received $10,000 and $20,000 grants to foster resiliency in the post-pandemic economy through the Cook County Small Business Program.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said that more than 16,000 applications were reviewed for funding and that a lottery was then used to select 3,000 recipients, including Magic By Randy Inc. The recipients got notice of their award in mid-December and the funds in January.
“Cook County’s small businesses have faced uncharted waters in the post-pandemic economy, and this grant provides the stability they need to thrive in 2024 and beyond,” Preckwinkle said in a release. “Small businesses have shown a unique tenacity and staying power in surviving the pandemic, and they are important assets to our community.”
According to county officials, 60 % of the recipients are in suburban Cook County and 60 % are in “priority sectors” including arts and entertainment; childcare and social assistance; hospitality, food and tourism; retail trade; and transportation and warehousing. Forty-five veteran-owned businesses also got grants.
Like many other performers, Bernstein said the pandemic lockdown was “brutal” on his bottom line and that at one point early in COVID-19 his business was down by 100 %.
“I’m sure there’s many other companies that were just as impacted by it who didn’t get this grant so for me it’s very exciting,” he said. “I am truly appreciative of it.”
Preckwinkle’s office said Cook County used $50 million from a pool of $1 billion received from the “American Rescue Plan Act” the economic stimulus bill signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, to fund the 2023 Source Grants program. The program’s original intention was to distribute $40 million, but it received additional funding due to “overwhelming interest.”
The grant monies can be used for business expenses, including payroll, operating expenses, lease or rent payments and inventory acquisition vital to the business, but cannot be used for “capital improvements or personal expenses,” information from Cook Country says.
“What this enables me to do is to consistently look at new marketing opportunities,” Bernstein said. “I’m sure there’s many other companies that were just as impacted by it who didn’t get this, so for me it’s very exciting. I am truly appreciative of it.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.