Welcome to the Virtual Spotlight Shop

September 15, 2021 2 min read

Share

Eric Feldstein

M&T Bank, Head of Business Banking

M&T Bank is a bank for communities. Communities of builders. Communities of dreamers. Communities of achievers.

There is one community we at M&T have paid particular attention to during the past 16 months of the Covid-19 pandemic – the business community. Through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, known as the PPP, M&T approved loans for more than 58,000 business customers – most of them very small businesses -- employing over 850,000 people in nine states and Washington, D.C.

Many of the businesses that make up our communities have been devastated by the pandemic and its ripple effects. The bakery on the corner. The hair salon along Main Street. Our favorite restaurant or retailer. These and many other businesses in our neighborhoods struggled to stay open to serve us while we dealt with this difficult time in our lives.

They showed resilience, determination, grit and perseverance. They reminded us that local businesses help make our communities feel like home.

Supporting Our Communities

Now, more than ever, is the time to show them our appreciation for their dedication to the success of our communities. That’s one reason M&T Bank has reopened its Virtual Spotlight Shop – a portion of the bank’s website devoted to many of our business customers that comprise the fabric of the communities we serve.

From the M&T Virtual Spotlight Shop, you can easily access the websites of more than 100 M&T business customers from Richmond, Va., to Upstate New York, from breweries and bakeries to tattoo shops and art galleries. You can search the businesses by region or category, shop their merchandise online and learn more about their commitment to helping their communities thrive.

The M&T Spotlight Shop isn’t new – we first tested the idea with a mobile pop-up shop that featured nearly a dozen small businesses in Baltimore, then moved the hyperlocal concept online last year due to the pandemic. This year, we decided to open the Virtual Spotlight Shop to businesses throughout our communities in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast as our way of showing them the support they deserve.

During the next several months, the shop will evolve. More businesses will be added, as well as more stories in this location about how the businesses in the shop have adapted to the changing world around them.

We welcome you to explore the M&T Virtual Spotlight Shop. Make it a stop on your online shopping journey. This shop is open for business.

There is one community we at M&T have paid particular attention to during the past 16 months of the Covid-19 pandemic – the business community.