Senator Tom Carper tours small businesses in DE

Senator Tom Carper was in Downtown Dover on Friday taking a tour of some local businesses in the area. The senator, along with the Small Business Administration, visited both “Celebrity Style Vintage Boutique” and “Parris Nail Lounge”.

Both are members of the “Minority Owned Business Program” as a part of the SBA. Senator Carper tells 47 ABC the success of these establishments can help the downtown area thrive.

Carper says, “We want to make sure that if somebody has a passion they want to be an entrepreneur they want to be successful we want to make sure we provide a nurturing environment for them. We’re seeing today how that nurturing environment does help actually, under the wings of a lot of folks who want to be successful in small business. I can assure you these businesses didn’t look like this a year ago two years ago and it just shows what a person with a lot of energy and passion can do if they have the right kind of support.”

People like Parris Nail Salon owner Tammy Parris. She credits the Small Business Administration with helping her get to where she is today.

47 ABC spoke to Parris and she says, “I would not be here without them the small business administration with the financing they helped me finalize my business plan to look at the dream that I had in the aspect of not just a dream but also business and how to facilitate it properly in order to go fourth and make it successful.”

After the tour, Senator Carper gave local businesses an opportunity to voice any concerns they might have. A few said that while the SBA offers a lot of services, they often find they don’t qualify for those benefits. Senator Carper also addressed concerns the business owners had about being able to connect with the right people in the organization and pledged to help their cause.