Main St. Wooster grants help local businesses
Almost $33,000 in grant funding has been awarded to downtown Wooster businesses via Main Street Wooster’s umbrella organizations, Heritage Ohio and Main Street America.
Almost $33,000 in grant funding has been awarded to downtown Wooster businesses via Main Street Wooster’s umbrella organizations: Heritage Ohio and Main Street America.
“These organizations foster the Main Street Approach on a state and national level,” said Shannon Waller, Main Street Wooster’s Executive Director. “They work hard to secure resources for downtown historic preservation and economic development, and we’re grateful for their support of our local businesses.”
Heritage Ohio offered grant funding to downtown reinvestment projects that complied with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Main Street Wooster invited its Partners to apply for the grant monies and recommended the top candidates for approval. Heritage Ohio awarded matching grants to Local Roots Market & Cafe, Minglewood Distilling Company, Wootown Properties, Studio 217, and the Gift Corner. The funding was used for exterior renovations that improved the look and feel of historic Downtown Wooster.
Main Street America, in partnership with The Hartford, offered outright grants to help businesses in historic downtown commercial districts adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The application required a letter of recommendation from the business’ Main Street organization. Local Roots was awarded over $13,000 for improvements that will allow more people to shop safely for their locally made products. Additional shopping carts and baskets will free up staff who were continually sanitizing the few they had. More protective barriers will be installed.
“As a small food-focused cooperative, it’s hard to overstate how critical outside support is to our organization,” said Adam Schwieterman, Local Roots Executive Director. “Every local business that sells with us is small, independent, and, as such, has to fight hard each and every day to compete with the big guys. Grants like this put us ahead in a big way, by helping us improve our store in ways we couldn’t otherwise, which you’ll immediately see go right back into the local economy.”
“Local Roots was the only Ohio business to receive the first-round grant, and one of just 67 recipients nationwide,” said Waller. “I’m very proud that they were successful in such a competitive process.”