Frankfort Main Street and the city’s Redevelopment Commission are finalizing a new grant program designed both to support existing downtown businesses and attract new entrepreneurs, with applications expected to open by April 1. The effort will tie financial assistance to required business training and mentoring in areas such as marketing, bookkeeping and customer outreach, Main Street Executive Director Kim Stevens said during a recent local radio interview in WILO 96.9 FM/Boone 102.7 FM.
Grants targeted for spring rollout
Stevens said Main Street is working closely with the Redevelopment Commission to finish details of the new incentives.
“One of the things that Frankfort Main Street is working with the Redevelopment Commission on is putting together some grants that will be available for existing businesses as well as attracting new business,” Stevens said. “We have a meeting tomorrow to hopefully put the finishing touches on those grants and then they will be released. We’re hoping by the 1st of April.”
She said the program is aimed at entrepreneurs “who are ready to maybe take that next step” and at current retailers who need help shoring up weaker parts of their operations, particularly marketing and back-office skills.
Training tied to financial help
Unlike some past efforts, the new grants will come with expectations. Stevens said participating businesses will be required to complete classes and certifications meant to strengthen their long-term viability.
“Through these grants, we are also requiring that there are some classes that they will need to take,” she said. “There’s some different certifications that will be part of the criteria for some of these grants that help address the books, help address the marketing, help address getting their message out, how to reach out to the customers.”
She described the approach as “kind of a business startup and support” model that continues through the duration of the grant or loan, with Main Street evaluating each business’ needs and pairing them with resources or mentors.
The community can expect $20,000 of the $40,000 grant money to go toward a qualifying new downtown business, and the remaining $20,000 will be allocated to several qualifying existing downtown businesses.
The grant money is allocated from Frankfort TIF district money and will be distributed to downtown Frankfort businesses in a 21 block area within the area from Morrison Street to Wabash and Columbia to Clay Street, according to Stevens.
Stronger downtown mix, shared challenges
Stevens and WILO Partyline Host/Chamber Director Shan Sheridan noted that Frankfort’s downtown business mix is more diverse than it has been in some time, even as local owners face the same challenges seen in other Indiana communities. The conversation referenced a recent visit to Madison, where some shops are only open a few days a week, illustrating the difficulty of coordinating hours and sustaining foot traffic even in destination towns.
“I always enjoy going to communities and talking to other businesses,” the host said. “It’s amazing. We all have the same issues. We all struggle with some of the same difficulties. No one is immune, even that tourist town.”
Stevens said that in Frankfort, Main Street is trying to respond directly to what local owners say they need. “When we have our Main Street Mixers, those are some of the topics that we’re covering,” she said. “When we have our monthly conference call, those are some of the topics that we’re trying to help with.”
She added that downtown now includes multiple furniture stores and women’s boutiques, each with its own niche. “If you’re looking for that variety, I think that those are things that people don’t understand or don’t maybe pay attention to sometimes,” she said. “We do have different varieties in our community, and they’re very supportive of each other.”
Push to ‘shop local’ in slow months
Both Stevens and the hosts repeatedly urged residents to support local retailers, especially during traditionally slow periods such as January and February.
“January and February and June are typically months that the retail [businesses] suffers, because people don’t want to get out in this cold weather,” Stevens said. “It’s so easy to shop online. That’s their livelihood, that’s their job every single day. If we’re not supporting them, when they have to close their doors, we can’t be upset about that.”
She encouraged residents to remember that many small shops also carry products from home-based or micro-businesses, meaning a single purchase may support several local families. “There are many of our businesses that have other small businesses inside their business,” she said. “You’re not just supporting one family necessarily. Sometimes there’s four or five vendors that are in a store.”
The hosts echoed that message, noting that even a small purchase can make a difference in whether an owner feels encouraged to stay open. “You never know, that transaction, that purchase might just have been the encouragement that that owner needed to stay open another day or week or month or year,” one said.
Community, patience and communication
Stevens also called for patience and kindness toward newer businesses that are still learning how to operate. She said many local owners are strong at making a product or providing a service but have little formal training in customer service or business systems.
“Sometimes I think we are quick to jump on a situation,” she said. “We just need to be much kinder in our community, not just our community, but in the world.”
She added that Main Street hears from owners who are discouraged during slow stretches, and she encouraged residents to reach out even if they are not making a purchase. “Even if it’s a phone call, send an email saying, ‘Hey, I appreciate you being part of the downtown business community,’” Stevens said. “Everybody likes to be appreciated. We all want to be loved. We all want to be appreciated and supported.”
Stevens invited anyone wanting to learn more about Frankfort Main Street or the upcoming grant program to visit the office at 62 North Main Street, call 765-654-4081, or go online to frankfortmainstreet.org.