A week ago Sunday, during the fifth anniversary of Second Sunday on Main, more than a dozen commercial spaces were opened for exploration.Over 30 storefronts are available along Main, E 13th and E 14th streets, between 600 square feet and 13,000 square feet and renting for between $6 and $15 per square foot.
Arranged by the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce Business Retention and Attraction Committee, the event was organized to highlight the Business First Grant program, which has five major objectives:
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- To leverage the investment of the OTR Chamber, 3CDC and the City of Cincinnati with private investors and partners
- To reduce storefront turnover and stabilize the business district, thereby increasing foot traffic, safety and commerce
- To support capital improvements in unused and underutilized storefronts
- To solicit a diverse group of businesses that complement and strengthen the neighborhood
- To provide an environment for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive, strengthening the neighborhood economy and providing employment opportunities for local residents
Brian Tiffany, president of the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, says that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-funded grants can only be used for fitting out the spaces, not for construction.
Business owner equity is required for building improvements, he says, but the money can also be used as a quarterly rental subsidy if the proprietor signs a three-year lease.
But, in addition to helping prospective entrepreneurs understand the neighborhood, the Chamber will also assist with business plans and mentoring, he says.
"We have an amazing amount of architecture, we're the center of the universe in Cincinnati in terms of arts and culture," Tiffany says. "It's a walkable urbanity. You're literally minutes from Downtown. And there's amazing growth taking place on the residential side, which are your future customers."
A successful example
Dan Korman opened Park + Vine in June 2007, working with Tiffany and other helpful people within the Gateway Quarter.
"I was very determined to open a store in Over-the-Rhine, a neighborhood where I had lived many years prior to that," Korman says.
The Business First Grant was the main reason why Korman decided to start his first business in the neighborhood.
Between August 2008 and August 2009, Korman's sales have grown by 25 percent, and he's quickly outgrowing his space.
"That's outstanding, considering the economy, and a lot of other factors, as well," he says.
Korman loves it in Over-the-Rhine, although he had other choices.
"We probably could have opened the store in some other neighborhoods," he says. "It seems like our store is getting a higher profile because we're in Over-the-Rhine, instead of just fitting in to another traditional business district. And that's definitely worked to our advantage."
The few people who lived above the bars on Main Street didn't enjoy the loud bars, chaos on the streets, or the vomit on their doorsteps.
So the new strategy is a conscious effort to fill the upstairs with residents first, and then to backfill with neighborhood services.
That strategy used to be the other way around, which resulted in a plethora of short-lived clubs and no neighborhood momentum.
"They will come here because there's something that makes a tremendous experience, and we need to have all of our storefronts focused on that objective because we only have so many storefronts, and they need to support each other," Norris says.
Main Street will be a major destination within the next five years, she says.
But Norris is not set in her ways, and everyone who has ever met her knows that she's receptive to ideas.
"If you go to a restaurant you like, send me an e-mail," she says. "If you see a shop you like -- here or someplace else -- tell me about it. If you're in a neighborhood place that's really cool, tell me about it, because that's how we're doing it. We're trying to look at what the best practices and the best practitioners are."
If you attended this year's Tour de Fronts, the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce would like for you to fill out this short survey on how the event can be improved in the future.
4 comments:
I lived on Main from 9-98 to 9-99. I liked the idea of living downtown and that was when Main St. was hopping. My biggest problem was parking. The parking garage that's down there was being built so I had to rely on on-street parking. I got more tickets than I can count. My car got broken into over 6 times (Jane Pendergast wrote a story about break ins and I was featured). And twice it was towed. One I'll admit was my fault, but once they towed it because between the time I parked my car and then went to get it in the morning they had posted no parking signs on all of the meters.
I was mugged at 12th and Main in broad daylight.
After all this I am still pro-city. When I lived there (and since) I was amazed at how much potential real estate there is and I watched the turnover of so many different places (Jump, Westminster, 1207, the Cellblock(?), The Cavern, etc.).
I think the streetcar would help businesses a lot. But overall getting people to come down from Blue Ash or Hyde Park is the key. But I don't think that will happen if people don't feel safe. I listen to 700WLW and the hosts on that station seem to hate Cincinnati, I don't get it.
I'm going to stop rambling, I hope businesses start moving back in. I hope Issue 9 gets voted down (I'm a Newport resident currently and can't vote on it) and I hope the city/metro area as a whole comes together.
Tony B,
I remember those times as well and I remember corners like 12th and Vine being terrible as well but look at the changes today. This is not the same OTR as a decade ago and I believe it will continue to evolve into a resident friendly neighborhood.
Yesterdays 12th and Main was a different place as well with Jordan Market on the corner and closed bars all around. Today, Jordans is closed, Neon's is reopening as a neighborhood bar and condos are being built in the Kaldi's building (Bellmain) as well as Ball North and Ball South buildings. My point is that even in the hight of Main, Over the Rhine did not have the amount of positive activity on all fronts as we have now.
In the end, the goal is not to just have people visit from Hyde Park etc, but to have people move here from any community and to make OTR a viable place for people to not just work and play, but to live as well. This is a new OTR and I believe you will like what you will see.
Michael Redmond
Co-Owner
Neon's Unplugged
Michael,
I look forward to the redevelopment. I am looking to move back to Cincinnati, but probably Northside or so. I'd like a yard and picket fence and what not. But I do try to get to Findlay market whenever I can and I hope that what you are doing can show people what can be done.
When I was in town last (I work in Oklahoma) my brother and I walked the Streetcar route and I was pretty impressed by what I saw. There was only a short section on Race that I didn't like, but less than 1/4 mile of a 4 mile route isn't bad.
I hope you are open for Bockfest, and if so I'll be there.
Tony,
Race and Elm are getting ready to go under construction by 3CDC and I believe the differences already seen on Vine will soon be seen on those streets as well. Some of those changes include the new SCPA School, a new Washington Park (to begin in the spring), new single family homes on Race, Elm, and Pleasant St. by B2B Equities, Heuber Homes, and Northpoint Group. 3CDC themselves are relocating their offices from the Kroger building to the corner of 14th and Race showing their continuesd commitment to OTR. Before you decide on another community, let my wife Holly Redmond take you for a tour of the Gateway Quarter (she reps 3CDC north of Central). You can find her number or any information about the development here on GatewayQuarter.com.
PS.
Neon's Unplugged will be open for Bockfest.
Michael Redmond
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