09 May Celtics award $25,000 small business grant to Pittsfield’s Elegant Stitches
The Boston Celtics have been incredibly active in supporting small businesses recently in the region and the organization teamed up with Vistaprint and NAACP to make a local impact in Western Massachusetts this past week.
Elegants Stitches Inc, a family-owned custom embroidery and screen-printing company based in Pittsfield, MA was the recipient of a $25,000 grant, one of 13 awards the Celtics Shamrock Foundation and Vistaprint distributed to Black-owned small businesses across the New England region.
Alfred Enchill, the owner of Elegant Stitches, got the news from Director of Community Engagement Kash Cannon and the team’s mascot Lucky in a surprise zoom call this past week, after being selected from over 1,400 applicants. Brad Stevens, Ime Udoka and players Grant Williams and Aaron Nesmith were among the Celtics that surprised other small business owners with the announcement they were recipients of the grant.
Enchill, a native of Ghana, has been part of the Pittsfield community for over 30 years having created Elegant Stitches back in 1997. Since then, it’s become a key fixture in the region for screen printing and custom apparel. The firm works with several local institutions such as Tanglewood and other New England universities.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of a strong economy and our community. We’re eager to begin working with each of these small businesses, and future grant recipients, as we seek to make a positive lasting impact on a diverse group of small businesses throughout New England,” said Celtics Co-Owner and Alternate Governor Steve Pagliuca in a team release.
The next round of applications for the Power Forward Small Business Grant for new or existing Black-owned small businesses based in New England will be administered in the coming weeks by the NAACAP and Hello Alice. Business owners can apply for grans through Hello Alice where applicants will be selected on a rolling basis to receive grant funding from the $1 million committed to the cause.