Briefs: DMC announces $1.6 million in 'Main Street' grants
Thirty businesses within the Destination Medical Center district have been awarded a total of $1.6 million to support capital improvement projects.
The grants — which range from $1,220 to $200,000 — are part of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Main Street Economic Revitalization Program.
Under the criteria, applicants could submit grant proposals to cover up to 30 percent of a project’s budget. Priority was given to applicants impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to BIPOC, veteran, disabled business and property owners, and disadvantaged business entities.
Among the businesses that received a maximum grant of $200,000 were:
Capital Ventures, LLC: Restoration of the Olmsted County Bank and Trust building for new restaurant concept.
City Walk, LLC: Development and construction of a 142-unit apartment building at Second Street and Sixth Avenue SW.
The Landing MN: Renovation of a building at 426 Third Avenue SE to support people experiencing homelessness.
The Well: Power Ventures’ renovation of the former Dooley’s Pub site into a new family restaurant.
(The full list of grant recipients can be found here.)
The grants were determined by a “community-based team comprised of downtown stakeholders” according to a news release. Recommendations from the group were then sent to the DMC EDA Board for review.
The DMC EDA was awarded a total of $3 million in the first round of Main Street funding. Proposals for the remaining $1.4 million will reviewed on a monthly basis. All grants are subject to final approval by DEED.
“There is an excellent partnership between DEED, DMC and the City of Rochester, and thanks to that close collaboration these grants are focused on supporting local businesses hit hardest by the pandemic,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove, according to a written statement. “These grants will help revitalize areas with the greatest economic development and redevelopment needs that have arisen since the pandemic began.”
While the first round of funding is exclusively for businesses in the DMC district, a future second set of funding — worth $988,000 — will be targeted toward businesses outside the central business district.
New spot for sports cards
A new name in collectibles is entering the Rochester market.
Coulee Cards & Gaming, already with one location in Onalaska, Wis., plans to open a new store in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center.
The shop will offer cards from all major sports, from football to UFC, along with Pokemon, MTG, and YU-GI-OH collectibles. The cost of the cards will range from 10 cents to “investment level cards in the $10,000+ range.”
Coulee Cards will also host “box breaks,” which allow collectors the chance buy into sealed boxes of cards — similar to a raffle.
“We want to have a community-like environment within the shop that encourages people to hangout and talk shop just as much as buy things from us,” said store manager Carter Johnson.
A grand opening is scheduled for Sept. 23.
Wear Local on the move
The Wear Local clothing line has announced plans to expand into a new location just north of downtown.
The business, which emerged during the pandemic as a way to support local restaurants, is moving to 525 6th Ave NW, in the space formerly occupied by Real Deals. (The home decor store relocated earlier this year to a new 7,000-square-foot building at 2050 Jordyn Road NW.)
With the new space, Wear Local plans to “bring an experience rather than just a retail location” — with an open concept designed to give shoppers the opportunity to see the printing process up-close.
In addition to its own line of clothing, the business offers a variety of printing services to local businesses.
Wear Local has set Sept. 16 as the opening date for the new spot.
A ‘bittersweet’ closure
After more than three years inside the Flats on 4th building, 412 3rd Ave SE, Fiddelhead Coffee Company has decided to close its original café and relocate its roastery to St. Louis Park
In a post to Facebook, owner Sarah Phelan described the closure as “bittersweet,” but said the move to a larger roastery facility will provide more opportunities for the business, including being able to become certified organic and distribute its coffee to local grocery stores.
“We will be forever grateful for all the opportunities that came out of our first shop — all the dear relationships, the parties, the crazy fun dinners, the live music, the bar nights.... It's torture to say goodbye to the beautiful shop that launched us into being,” Phelan said in the post.
For fans of Fiddelhead, the good news is the business does plan to continue operating its two other Rochester shops, at Miracle Mile and in the Kahler Grand Hotel. Fiddelhead also has a location in Bloomington.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
