Incentives in place to welcome new businesses to city
The city of Washington is focusing revitalization efforts on attracting business to the West Chestnut Street area of downtown.
Shana Brown, Main Street manager for the Washington Business District Authority, said a portion of a $125,000 Local Shared Account facade grant awarded to the organization will be dedicated to qualified applicants.
“We have so much momentum and so much going on downtown,” she said. “A lot of businesses have been calling, wanting to come. We have some areas that need a little bit more love than others and one of those areas is West Chestnut. The whole initiative is us announcing all of the incentives we are offering with a focus on that area.”
WBDA will help market the businesses in ways that include promotion on WJPA radio and a ribbon cutting to mark any opening.
“We want to really push it out and show the community that we’re all behind them and we’re all working together,” Brown said.
The first ribbon cutting in the initiative was held June 17 at Rebel House Esthetics, a beauty salon dealing mainly with skin care at 33 W. Chestnut.
Sheila Bonus, owner of Rebel House, fell in love with downtown Washington at a young age.
“We were walking through the little alleyways that go through downtown and emerged onto the street and it blew my mind,” said the 2004 graduate of Trinity High School. “I was in love. I’ve watched the growth and I really want to be a part.”
Brown said there is room for about five more businesses on the street, including space at 25 W. Chestnut for what she believes would be a good fit for a karate studio or gymnasium.
“The price point for the rest is well below market,” Brown said. “The owner of the building is a fantastic community partner who is very invested in the community and wants to get somebody in there who will be the same.”
Any new business can use the services of the Ignite Business Incubator. Ignite connects, supports, educates and empowers entrepreneurs and small businesses by offering services such as consulting, advice or networking. It can be another method to help entice businesses into the West Chestnut area.
“If you come in to one of these building spaces on West Chestnut, head on up to Ignite and get your business plan,” Brown said. “They’ll help you for free. There will be resources to help you make the connections within the downtown.”
Rebel House Esthetics was a past $5,000 grand prize winner in Ignite’s Ideas to Enterprise (I2E) Business Planning Workshop Cohorts, which offers courses for local entrepreneurs to assist in the creation of a formal business plan.
Bonus said it helped her “tremendously.”
“I was working with a limited budget and it seemed impossible,” she said. “That (money) kind of funded the whole endeavor. Everything was fully funded. We’re debt-free.”
Another incentive offered by the city is its tiered tax incentive system.
Many community organizations are partnering with the WBDA, such as the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County, the Washington County Historical Society and Reimagine Main Street.
“We’re just looking to get qualified tenants and qualified applicants for the property owners,” Brown said. “You have these resources that we’re utilizing through our community partners. We’re working together to make this a better place.”