From kielbasa and wine to Sorrel & Lime, several established businesses and a few new ventures recently won grants from the city to expand their enterprises.

The third and final round of the popular Supporting Pandemic Affected Community Enterprises (SPACE) grants were unveiled last month with eight businesses from Dorchester and Mattapan receiving various funding and other support from the city. In total, the latest round supported 32 businesses that are already open or are about to open with $2.875 million, though the overall program distributed $10.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to 90 businesses. The latest round attracted 250 applicants, showing strong demand for the program, though its funding has now run out. Individual awards range in numbers, but average in the tens of thousands of dollars.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen this grant program change lives, bring vibrancy back to our neighborhoods, and transform Boston’s economic landscape,” said Mayor Wu.

Two of the local businesses that were chosen for grants were the established DJ’s Market in the Polish Triangle, and the brand-new Sorrel & Lime entertainment and events hall on Blue Hill Avenue.

At DJ’s Market, which specializes in Polish products and boasts a robust deli operation, the market is now in its third generation of family ownership, with Alina Morris inheriting the business from her parents, Gino and Theresa Jurczuk. She operates it with her husband Danny and they plan to pass the market on to their daughters, Alina ‘Jackie’ Morris and Dawn Morris.

The market was named a Legacy Business in 2023, and just this year won approval for a beer and wine sales license – specializing in Polish beers and eastern European wines.

With the help of the SPACE grant, the market is looking to head in a new direction without veering from its tried and true customer base.

“We’re definitely going to be expanding into our storage space, but we don’t know exactly how yet,” said Jackie Morris, motioning to a large area that prior to the pandemic was slated to be a coffee shop.

“There’s so much potential for the place and it’s already starting with a base and now we’re getting the store stabilized and really appreciate the help from the city,” she continued. “We’ve survived here because of customers over the years, and we look forward to bringing in new customers as the neighborhood changes, and at the same time staying loyal to our existing customers.”

Added Dawn, who is known for baking traditional Paczki Polish donuts: “I don’t want to change DJ’s too much. It’s like having an old tree. You have the roots that go deep into the ground, and you want to also let it grow, but you have to also recognize everything that’s going on and growing around it.”

They said they will take their time and talk to customers, but some ideas include new refrigerators and some other updates – perhaps making their unique staples more accessible to those who aren’t Polish. For instance, the store stocks about 20 different varieties of deli mustards from Europe but dressing up the offerings with explanations and translations could make them more popular, said Dawn.

Meanwhile, the store has dozens of varieties of kielbasa on hand, which might be intimidating to the average customer – so perhaps a kielbasa tasting night could emerge. All of that is part of their plan to offer more after-hours events in the evenings. Already things are on the move: On Dec. 19, DJ’s will have its first-ever wine tasting at 6:30 p.m.

“I still can’t believe DJ’s is going to have a wine tasting,” said Alina. “I just didn’t want this place to go away,” she said. “We could have sold it, and they would have torn it down and it would just be more apartments. I’m grateful to have these two taking it over and glad it’s going to work.”

The front of the future Sorrel & Lime entertainment and events space in the 900 block of Blue Hill Avenue. The building, which was ‘Island Pride,’ has been vacant for some time. Seth Daniel photo

On Blue Hill Avenue, many new opportunities are popping up, and new businesses like Sorrel & Lime are trying to provide things in the neighborhood so that people don’t have to leave – in this case a space to host events like birthday parties and gatherings. That’s why they have proposed an events hall for their property at 986 Blue Hill Ave. and are seeking one of the new liquor licenses for the space as well. They held an abutter’s meeting for that license late last month.

Now, owners Kurt McLaughlin, Clayton Weston, and Marlon Benjamin have won a SPACE grant and hope to open in early 2025.

“We are renovating the space as fast as we can, but it’s been vacant for quite some time,” said McLaughlin. “It’s been a black eye in the community, and we felt it would be a good opportunity to revamp it. Our intention is an upscale entertainment space…Whatever event you have in mind, or you need, we’ll be able to pivot to that entertainment or event. We don’t want to be pinned down to one thing.”

Obviously, Sorrel & Lime hopes to host birthday parties, wedding receptions, and other staples – and that’s mostly because they see those events happening outside of the community.

“These kinds of events are happening every week in the city, but they aren’t happening in our community,” he said, noting that his parents are from Honduras, while his partners have heritages traced to Trinidad and Antigua.

On Blue Hill Avenue, three business partners hope to add an entertainment and events space called Sorrel & Lime by early next year. While working in the party planning industry for two decades, they noticed there were no events happening in their community. They hope to change that. From left, Clayton Weston, owner/partner; Marlon Benjamin, owner/partner; Alia Hamada Forest, city director of business strategy for the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion; and Kurt McLaughlin, owner/partner. Seth Daniel photo

“I’ve been working in party planning and conventions for more than two decades,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve done events all over the city and always wanted to be able to do these events in my community. When you looked for the right space for an event, it was always outside the community…Now we’re putting our hands on how this looks and feels. It’s been a long time coming.”

Sorrel & Lime comprises is 2,700 square feet and has a capacity of 168 people for events. Future plans include finding a second location nearby to get involved in the food and beverage/restaurant industry.

For this venture, admittedly, they have some work to do with neighbors in controlling parking and communicating what events are happening. That’s something they feel they can overcome, and hopefully it will allow them to open by January.

“If all things go well, maybe New Year’s Eve will be the first official event at Sorrel & Lime,” said McLaughlin.

Other local SPACE grant winners include:

•Blue Mountain Jamaican Restaurant, reopening in 1301 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan

•Bondij Clothing, Dorchester.

•Esther’s Garden Childcare, Codman Hill Avenue

•Murl’s Kitchen, 143 Washington St., Dorchester, but looking to move nearby.

•Neighborhood Wash Laundromat, Dorchester, 126 Washington St.

•Noir Essence Studios, 1810 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester.