Yancey EDC Grant to Burnsville Candle Company

“I’m pleased to announce a grant made through Yancey EDC’s Downtown Entrepreneurship Assistance Program was awarded to Burnsville Candle Company, a new downtown Burnsville retail store located at 132 West Main Street.  This grant marks the fifth DEAP grant announced by the Yancey County Economic Development Commission in 2021 and marks a record number for grants given in a single year to date” said Yancey County Economic Development Director, Jamie McMahan.  Since its inception the Yancey County Economic Development Commission’s Downtown Entrepreneurship Assistance Program has awarded over $25,000 in grants to new local business startups and business expansions.  “I and the members of the Yancey EDC Board of Directors want to offer Kem Muller and her new storefront business, Burnsville Candle Company, a warm welcome to the Burnsville downtown merchant family” added McMahan.

Burnsville Candle Company has manufactured and sold through other retail outlets all natural, hand poured soy wax candles with one-of-a-kind lids made from locally sourced woods that double as coasters.  Since the brand’s inception, the product line has sold well and become popular enough to enable the business to open its first dedicated storefront on West Main Street in Burnsville.

“The key to economic prosperity in any town, but especially in small town America, is a proactive approach to recruiting and developing our best assets; those in our own backdoor- the entrepreneur” added EDC Director McMahan. “Creating a community that supports entrepreneurial development will generate profit for the entire county and will also fill a gap that directly benefits our specific economic needs.”

The Burnsville Downtown Entrepreneur Assistance Program (DEAP).  DEAP is an incentive grant program with the goal of creating new jobs, increasing revenue, and making downtown Burnsville an attractive option for business development.  The purpose of this program is to support business recruitment by assisting new start-ups within the critical first six months of business.

The DEAP program requires applicants submit a written business plan when applying for the grant and may, depending upon the applicant’s previous business experience, require attendance of business management and training courses at Mayland Community College through the Mayland Small Business Center, or other accredited institution offering the required courses and will require recipients to create at least one new full time equivalent job.  In addition to the grant award of $2,500 the grant will also cover the cost of the recipient’s first year of membership in the Yancey County Chamber of Commerce.

For more details on how to apply for the grant program contact Jamie McMahan, Executive Director of the Yancey County Economic Development Commission, at (828) 682-7722 or via email at yanceyedc@gmail.com.  Application information may also be obtained at the Yancey County Chamber of Commerce or the Mayland Community College Small Business Center.