Mockingbird Bar & Tacos at 1220 S. Main St. won a grant of nearly $15,000 from the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program and owner Jack Sundell says the bar will donate the money to the operations of SoMa Outdoor Dining room across the street.
Mockingbird was one of 67 businesses nationally that received the grants, which were awarded in response to the pandemic’s burden on business. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $15,000 and were awarded competitively.
Sundell said the $14,260 the bar will receive will go to infrastructure, staffing, programming and enhancements. The Outdoor Dining Room will shut down Nov. 22 and reopen in spring.
From a news release from the Downtown Little Rock Partnership announcing the grant:
“We look forward to being able to invest this grant money into expanding the SoMa Outdoor Dining Room, which has turned out to be something truly special for local businesses and patrons during this pandemic year,” Jack Sundell, owner of Mockingbird Bar & Tacos and The Root Café, said. “Thank you to Main Street America and The Hartford for giving us the resources to build on these successes.”
UPDATE: Sundell writes to say the grant was always intended for the Outdoor Dining District. “It makes us sound very generous, but I didn’t want people to get the impression that we got the money and then decided to donate it out of the kindness of our hearts :)”