Mastercard Honors Harlem's Iconic 'Grandma's Place' In New Campaign Featuring Small Businesses

Mastercard is putting small businesses in the spotlight in their latest campaign, and one of them is Black-woman-owned. 

As the official payment service for the New York Road Runners, Mastercard launched “50 Years and Running” to highlight their support of the TCS New York City Marathon. Captured by documentary filmmaker Nick Heller, the campaign features three small businesses along the marathon route, including Black woman-owned Grandma’s Place — founded by Dawn Harris-Martin, “lovingly referred to as ‘Grandma Dawn'” Davey’s Ice Cream and Bronx Native.

“The issues facing small businesses have changed radically in the 50 years since the TCS New York City Marathon began, and the impacts of the pandemic have only amplified and evolved these challenges,” said Heller in a press release. “Running a business takes the same dedication, hard work and grit it takes to run a marathon. We’re proud to pay tribute to the small business owners – from Brooklyn to the Bronx – who exemplify what makes this city one of the greatest in the world.”

Alongside the campaign, Mastercard will be ramping up their support by providing a Digital Doors™ toolkit for the featured small businesses. The toolkit will include exclusive offerings and resources designed to enhance the online presence, protect their online operations and help the businesses thrive in light of the new circumstances caused by the pandemic. According to Mastercard, the new efforts will fulfill their pledge to open the doors for 50 million micro and small businesses to tap into the digital economy by 2025.

“The ’50 Years and Running’ Priceless campaign reflects Mastercard’s ongoing commitment to supporting and elevating the small businesses that serve as the backbone of our communities,” said Cheryl Guerin, executive vice president, North America Marketing and Communications at Mastercard in a press release. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating and showcasing the extraordinary small businesses that keep New York City running and provide them with the digital tools and resources they deserve to thrive.”