Two recording studios and the Hi Tone music venue were among a dozen businesses approved Friday for a combined $66,000 in grants to support comebacks from COVID-19.

Scott McEwen’s Memphis Magnetic Recording Company at 618 Vance and Christopher Scott Bomar’s Electrophonic Recording LLC at 777 S. Main applied for grants after recording sessions screeched to a halt when the pandemic hit.

McEwen was approved for $5,000 under the Economic Development Growth Engine’s Neighborhood Emergency Economic Development (NEED) grants. Bomar will receive $7,000, and Brian McCabe’s Hi Tone on Cleveland is due for a $5,000 grant.

They joined two other music businesses, Goner Records and Memphis Records, previously approved for grants.

From hair salons to tattoo studio, small businesses get jolt of capital

“We were experiencing an upswing in bookings leading up to the shutdown,” said McEwen, who moved from Nashville to start the studio in 2017.

“In the month since the shutdown, we have had two significant cancellations and as of today, our calendar is completely open and we are usually booked two months out or more,” said McEwen. “Our clients are musicians and they have been severely impacted by the shutdown.”

EDGE president and chief executive Reid Dulberger said it was important to support the city’s music industry as businesses start pushing to get back to normal amid COVID-19 restrictions.

The NEED grants are focused on geographic areas of the city that were already struggling economically before the pandemic.

EDGE set aside $1 million for the grants.

With the latest approvals, it has awarded $245,000 to 44 businesses, of which 34 are women- or minority-owned.

Other newly approved grants are:

• $5,000, Milton’s Classic Cuts, 2508 Park, a hair-cutting business owned by Milton and Regina Gooden.
• $5,000, Sherika Fitness, 4137 Willow Lake Boulevard, a personal fitness business owned by Sherika Holmes.
• $5,000, Atena Nails, 6745 Winchester, a nail salon owned by My Dung Truong and Amy Cao.
• $5,000, Mobile Drug Testing, 3592 Knight Arnold, an alcohol and drug testing business owned by Michael McKinney.
• $5,000, Bingham on Broad, 2563 Broad, an art and gift shop owned by Rickey Britton and Matt Giffin.
• $8,000, Angel Beauty Supply, 4704 Millbranch, owned by Tae and Sun Lim.
• $5,000, ORCA Printing, 1808 September Drive, owned by Christopher Brunner.
• $6,000, Taghavi’s Oriental Rugs, 3554 Park, owned by Ali Taghavi.
• $5,000, Society Skate Park and Coffee, 583 Scott, an indoor skate park owned by Mark Horrocks and Matthew Wrage.