Mayor Michelle Wu Announces Launch of Annual Legacy Business Awards Nominations

Today, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet announced that the nomination period for the third annual Legacy Business Awards is now open through Friday, November 1, 2024. Residents are encouraged to nominate long standing businesses that have been located within the city of Boston for at least 10 years and contribute to the cultural, historical, and societal fabric of their community or neighborhood. To nominate a business, residents can use the online form or fill out a physical form at their local Boston Public Library branch.  

To date, 60 local businesses representing 2,267 years of service to all of Boston’s neighborhoods have been honored through the Legacy Business Program. By recognizing and supporting legacy businesses on an annual basis, this program supports Mayor Wu’s vision for Boston being a family-friendly and vibrant city that creates more opportunities for residents to build generational wealth.

“The rich history of Boston is kept alive in these businesses,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The Legacy Business Program not only preserves that legacy, but also provides the recognition that leads to a more prosperous future for our small business community. I want to thank our partners and the Office of Small Business for all that they do in support of our legacy businesses.” 

After the nomination period closes, the City Council will review the list of nominated, eligible businesses and create a shortlist of potential awardees. Then, a committee that includes representatives from City departments and Boston Main Streets will review this shortlist and submit a list of finalists to Mayor Wu. Selections are based on application scoring and community support. The committee ensures the list is representative of Boston by industry, neighborhood, gender, and race.

“We are proud to continue this hallmark initiative of Mayor Wu, which invites residents across the city to honor the commitment, investment, and impact that small business owners make in our neighborhoods,” said Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. “Because of the work of the Office of Small Business, this initiative continues to ensure the stability of these community bedrocks for generations to come.” 

The City of Boston will recognize the 30 Legacy Business Award winners at a public awards ceremony in spring 2025. The Office of Small Business will provide awardees with access to grant funding, a commercial lease toolkit, free legal consultation, and other technical assistance focused on succession planning and employee ownership. 

“Every year my office has the honor of highlighting 30 small businesses through a community-driven process. These businesses are the heartbeats of our city,” said Aliesha Porcena, Director of Small Business for the City of Boston. “We continue to build on this program, ensuring these businesses have the resources, tools, and support they need to continue to thrive. This is an aspect of the larger work of our office, which seeks to create a community where businesses feel supported, and are not alone. Through partners, programs, policy, and people, it is our mission to support businesses to start, grow, and build in Boston.”

"We were so honored to be recognized as a Legacy Business by the City," said Courtney Flynn, Trident Booksellers and Cafe. "The Trident has been independent and family-owned for 40 years, and as a small business, we are always looking for ways to innovate, adapt, and stay successful. Winning this award is providing us with additional resources to make it another 40 years!"

The nomination form is available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese, Somali, Russian, and French. Nominations are limited to one per resident. To learn more, visit the Legacy Business Program website.