Ny and Company Salon Opens in Mount Rainier
Owner Ny Chamberlain was impressed by the County’s support for small businesses.
The Ny and Company Salon layout.
The City of Mount Rainier has welcomed a new hair salon on Rhode Island Avenue, which opened in January 2021. Ny and Company is a full-service salon whose stylists specialize in cutting, coloring and styling curly and textured hair. They also retail organic/vegan hair care products. During the pandemic, the salon staff has made the health of their clients a priority by implementing safety protocols.
The Building Development Section (BDS) assisted the owner with completing the County’s permitting and inspections procedures. Ny Chamberlain, the salon’s owner, said she chose Mount Rainier because of the County’s support for new businesses and the importance of being part of the Gateway Arts District Initiative, which is an arts-based economic development strategy aimed at improving the economic wellbeing and quality of life in the community. “Hair is an art form and stylists are artists,” she said. “The County’s support of not only the arts, but of the 70-plus small businesses here who represent the rich diversity of the area, was also important.”
For more information about Ny and Company Salon visit their website.
Starting a Home-Based Business
So, you want to start a home-based business? Perhaps you have an empty basement, an extra room, or a garage with ample space to conduct business. The COVID-19 pandemic has left entrepreneurs thinking outside the box about how they can save money and reduce overhead while also keeping their businesses afloat. Over the last year, the BDS has fielded an assortment of questions about the County’s requirements for home-based businesses, from operating a hair salon to preparing and selling retail items from the home.
Due to the zoning regulations, many businesses are not allowed in residential areas in Prince George’s County. For example, nail salons are forbidden, though hair salons and barber shops are allowed with zoning restrictions limiting the square footage in the home. Signage, foot traffic or hours of operation may also be limited. Typically, retail is restricted to commercial zones. To ensure a particular home-based use is allowed under zoning regulations, request a zoning determination letter from the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) by submitting an information request form as a first step.
Once you have determined that the use is allowed, you will need to apply for a Use and Occupancy Permit (U&O). The business owner must submit a survey/site plan with their U&O application. A home’s survey/site plan may be among the closing settlement documents provided to the homeowner as part of a home purchase. If there is any construction needed, then a Building Permit will also be required.
Though some home-based businesses can give entrepreneurs a convenient and economical way to operate a business, they are strictly regulated by County zoning code. Be sure the business you would like to operate complies with code.
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CHANGING THE USE OF A BUILDING
If you are changing the use of a building, you will need to file for a Building Permit application in addition to an U&O. Examples include opening a coffee shop in a prior retail space, opening a restaurant in a prior pre-packaged foods store, or changing to an assembly style business which increases the occupancy load. When submitting your application, make sure to submit for a Commercial with New Use (CU).
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PROVIDING INFORMATION IN SPANISH
To share both departmental and County information with our Spanish-speaking communities, DPIE is publishing some information in Spanish. These documents can be found via the Resources tab of the DPIE website. Be sure to check the website regularly as we continue to translate and add documents, as well as departmental and community updates.
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ICYMI
The BDS hosted a webinar on March 18, 2021, to guide applicants through the process of obtaining permits and liquor licenses and answered questions from business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs
The presentation is available for public viewing at Permits and Liquor Licensing Webinar.
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On February 25, 2021, the BDS hosted a webinar designed to address questions from business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in starting their own mobile food businesses.
The presentation is available for public viewing at Food Truck Webinar.
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Funding Opportunities
Economic Development Incentive Fund
The Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) sponsors an Economic Development Incentive Fund (EDI) fund with goals including the expansion of the County’s commercial tax base, job retention and attraction, support for small and local businesses, promotion of development and redevelopment opportunities, as well as transit-oriented development. For more information visit the Economic Development Corporation website.
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PFC Black Chamber Open Door Fund
The People for Change Coalition (PFC) Black Chamber has announced the COVID-19 Open-Door Fund, which provides grants to small businesses in Prince George’s County. The fund provides between $1,000 to $3,000 on a rolling basis to businesses that have been established since 2019. Click the Open Door Fund link for details.
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Rural and Underserved Business Recovery from Impact of COVID-19 (RUBRIC)
The RUBRIC program provides economic relief to rural and economically-disadvantaged businesses. The program focuses on recently-opened tech companies that have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, click here.
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