{"id":12891,"date":"2025-07-03T11:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T15:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/?p=12891"},"modified":"2025-07-03T13:12:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:12:50","slug":"denton-dress-boutique-expands-operations-and-community-impact-with-small-business-assistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/2025\/07\/03\/denton-dress-boutique-expands-operations-and-community-impact-with-small-business-assistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Denton dress boutique expands operations and community impact with small business assistance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThis funding has allowed us to grow the business into the potential we know it can have.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Over two decades, Lizzie Hernandez, and her mother, Elizabeth Escobar, have transformed a dream that began in their home into a flourishing cornerstone of their local community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Escobar created Betty\u2019s Boutique in 2012 and began sewing and tailoring wedding gowns, prom dresses, quincea\u00f1era dresses, suits, and tuxedos \u2013 all out of her living room. By 2019, she was able to open the first brick and mortar iteration of Betty\u2019s Boutique: a small shop in Denton, MD.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Betty's<\/a><\/p>\n

But, as was unfortunately the case for many small businesses, the COVID19 pandemic came as a big challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were shut down, and a little bit lost as to where we were going to go from here, y\u2019know, to not have to close down,\u201d said Lizzie. \u201cAnd then my mom had an idea from my aunt, to start making masks for the family. Sooner or later, we made an entire operation out of it. We sold over 30,000 masks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As word spread, the Denton community rallied behind Betty\u2019s Boutique, purchasing so many masks that by the time lockdowns were lifted, demand for the boutique had soared. Elizabeth and Lizzie were thrilled, but as a team of two, they struggled to keep up with community interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis business is run by just me and my mom, which puts a lot of pressure on both of us \u2013 I\u2019m at the front of the house and she is basically at the back of the house, so it’s her brand, but I\u2019m the one who is taking the appointments, organizing everything, doing the social media,\u201d said Lizzie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development\u2019s Neighborhood BusinessWorks Program was able to alleviate some of this pressure. With $26,355 in funding from the Business Boost Microgrant program, Betty\u2019s Boutique has been able to hire additional staff, delegate tasks, and take in more clientele.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Business Boost awards are offered through the Department\u2019s <\/span>Neighborhood BusinessWorks<\/span><\/a> program and provide applicants with microgrants ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 to support small businesses who need capital for growth and\/or expansion opportunities. In fiscal year 2025, Neighborhood BusinessWorks provided $21.2 million in investments to 108 small businesses across Maryland \u2013 including Betty\u2019s Boutique.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Lizzie, the highlight of the grant process was the support provided by the Department\u2019s Business Lending team, especially Eduardo Montalvo, Senior Analyst.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything about the grant has been amazing. I\u2019m very thankful for the help Eduardo was able to provide. There were many times I even apologized and said, \u2018this may sound like a stupid question,\u2019 but he never once made me feel like anything I asked was a stupid question. He was always one call away and ready to help with any questions or difficulties I may have had. None of this would have been possible without his support and assistance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This extra support has also given Betty\u2019s Boutique the ability to give back to the community of\u00a0 Denton and strengthen their blossoming connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe may be a very small, quiet, out-of-the-way town, but I will say the town has been nothing short of incredible. With all sorts of diversity, we have been able to connect with many communities,\u201d said Lizzie. \u201cAnd we have now actually been able to offer free sewing classes with our local church every Saturday!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Lizzie and her mother Elizabeth look toward the future, with plans to one day expand into casual wear and create their own designs, their business is a powerful reminder of why investing in small businesses is essential to building strong, thriving communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom has been building this business since 2012, and although we\u2019ve had many, many hiccups, as many times as she wanted to throw in the towel after having to start over again, she never did,\u201d said Lizzie. \u201cShe kept going, she kept showing up, to not only prove to herself but to be an example to others, that no matter what, as long as you put the work in, the results will come \u2013 with time, patience, and discipline, for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you a small business owner wondering if the Neighborhood BusinessWorks program is right for you? Learn more about the Department\u2019s small business growth tools <\/span>here.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis funding has allowed us to grow the business into the potential we know it can have.\u201d Over two decades, Lizzie Hernandez, and her mother, Elizabeth Escobar, have transformed a dream that began in their home into a flourishing cornerstone of their local community. Elizabeth Escobar created Betty\u2019s Boutique in 2012 and began sewing and  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":242,"featured_media":12892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[285,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-features","category-neighborhood-businessworks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/242"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12891"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12896,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12891\/revisions\/12896"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}