Klover, Sora and Real Deals

Sora and Company, Real Deals and Klover will all be donating 15 percent of sales from Nov. 12 to the Great Falls Rescue Mission to help provide Thanksgiving meals to those in need.

As always, each boutique will be abiding by and enforcing CDC guidelines and recommendations.

Business Bites: Luna Coffee Bar opening; Eklund’s Fine Furniture closing; Game Night Lounge; Not Your Mama’s Nutrition; Ulmers 75th anniversary; Cakes for Thought; Broadwater Coffee offering discount for support of local businesses; Hoyt and Blewett remodel; restaurants bring back family meals

Bass Clef

Bass Clef School of Music and Fine Arts is now an authorized FedEx shipping center.

GFDA webinar

“Does your business have an e-commerce website that you can do yourself? Want to learn how? Sign up for GFDA’s Small Business Development Center Website Bootcamp: Get Ready for Holiday Shopping Online.”

The multi-session course is 6-7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, 17 and 24. Register here for free.

Business Bites: New insurance office; KellerGeist expansion; distillery planning to open spring 2021 downtown; Baskin Robbins closing; Last Straw Bistro closing

Elks Grants

The primary mission of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is to support the communities in which its local Lodges are located. The Elks National Foundation pools the generosity of Elks nationwide and offers local Lodges opportunities to apply to grants to be used to support projects and organizations in their communities.

Business Bites: Zandy’s demolition; Town Pump building car washes; 721 Central Avenue renovation; Alluvion Health buys more space

This year, the ENF made $7,500 in grants available to all lodges who applied, including a $2,000 Gratitude Grant, a $2,000 Spotlight Grant and a $3,500 Beacon Grant.

“Each lodge also had to meet certain member donation thresholds, and the generous members of Great Falls Elks Lodge #214 helped to ensure we met all requirements,” according to an Elks release. “In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the realization that it may not be safe for lodges in many locations to engage directly in community projects, ENF encouraged us to consider donating grants to local organizations dealing with increased demands due to the pandemic. The lodge’s Grants Committee opted to focus on organizations dealing with youth needs and community hunger.”

Business Bites: Carnivorium opening; Hokkaido now open; The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers moving; Dante’s reopens after COVID scare; Paris Gibson Square hosting Arts on Fire Sept. 12

The organizations receiving grants are:

• Gratitude Grant: $2,000 to the Youth Resource Center for technology purchases to help with increased need for educational resources for disadvantaged youth;
• Spotlight Grant: $2,000 to Great Falls Public Schools Pantries for food and other supplies;
• Beacon Grant(s): $2,000 to Great Falls Community Food Bank for food and other supplies; $1,500 to Fairfield Food Pantry for purchase of a new pallet jack to help with increased volume, and for food and other supplies.

Business Bites: Big Mouth BBQ reopening; new True Brew location opens; Yarn and Honey moving

“The members of the Great Falls Elks Lodge look forward to working with these and/or other community organizations next year when 2021 Grant opportunities become available. We sincerely hope conditions next year will allow for more direct involvement in community projects,” according to the release.