Silvia and Rafael Cervantes have been planning an extreme remodel of their restaurant La Botana Mexican Restaurant at 8995 N. Washington St. for about seven years.
The remodel was going to cost more than $400,000, and because of the struggling economy, the Cervantes decided to break it up in phases.
Last year, the city of Thornton approved the Cervantes’ application for a Business Improvement Grant (BIG) and enabled them to complete the first phase of their remodel — a new roof, new patio and a new vestibule. The first phase was more than $100,000 and the city’s grant covered $30,000.
The new exterior has done more than helped improve the look of the restaurant’s exterior — it has also saved the Cervantes on their Xcel bills.
“The new vestibule has helped us out tremendously,” said Silvia Cervantes. “Before, all the wind and snow would come into the dining room every time someone would open the door to come in. It would take a while before it could warm up again, so we always had our furnace running on high to keep it warm enough for our patrons.”
BIG is a primarily matching-funds providing up to $30,000 for exterior business improvements, $20,000 for interior business improvements and $20,000 for equipment purchases. A business can apply for all three; however, the grant itself cannot exceed $30,000.
The city’s Retail & Local Business Administrator Julie Jacoby said the purpose of the program is to help businesses with improvements that will result in the creation and retention of jobs, increased sales revenue and increased capital investment in Thornton businesses.
“It’s really a testament to the city how much it cares about its businesses succeeding,” she said.
Other grant recipients have included Papa Mazzotti’s, 2252 Lake Ave., for a new refrigerator to increase its catering business; Mountain View Garage, 8650 Pearl St., to repair a leaking roof and Subway, 8650 N. Washington, for exterior façade improvements.
From 2011 to 2013, the city has granted 54 BIG awards, Jacoby said. She said so far $610,000 has been spent in capital improvements — $198,000 in grant money, $412,000 was in private funding.
“That’s about a 70-30 split,” she said.
The city has $325,000 reserved for the 2014 grant cycle. Applications are available at and the deadline to apply is July 31.
