February 14, 2018 • Enterprise Newsletter • Featuring Converse County Wyoming's business community
Facade Grant Program offers business owners help in sprucing up their storefronts
Grants range up to $5,000 for new signage, renovations, upgrades
To help reach its goal of beautifying Douglas, The Enterprise secured $50,000 in facade grant funds to help area businesses improve their storefronts. Two entities - Solutions for Life and Tegeler & Associates - have drawn upon the dollars.

"We applied for the full amount and did a new sign on the front of our building," says Daniel York of Tegeler & Associates, a local insurance agency. The project included removing the old awning and sign and adding a fresh coat of paint.

He says the applications process was fairly easy. The end result was a much-improved exterior to their building.

The purpose of the program is to enhance the economic and social vitality of the Douglas community by improving the facade of commercial buildings. This program is offered to members of The Enterprise to assist in off-setting the costs of quality design and incorporating and/or preserving the character of each building. Applicants can receive up to $5,000 in grant dollars.

"I know the committee that is handling the facade grant would like to see more applications come in," says York.
Tegeler & Associates in downtown Douglas is one of the local businesses to have applied for and received a facade grant through The Enterprise.
A copy of the four page application, which includes a list of required documents and outlines the process, is available for download on The Enterprise website via the below link.

Property owners, or tenants with written permission from the property owner, are eligible to apply. The funds can be used for signage, maintenance, and renovations that change the facade design or building structure.
Downtowns matter....just look at the statistics
Statistics increasingly support the value of historic downtown areas when it comes to the overall economic health of a community. The Enterprise follows Roger Brooks and his team at Destination Development International. Executive Director Cindy Porter recently shared the following statistics:
70% of retail spending takes place in the evening hours
  • 80% of all non-lodging tourism takes place downtown
  • Retail beautification can lead to sales increases of over 400%
  • Curb appeal accounts for 70% of new visitors sales at restaurants, retail and lodging establishments
  • Business sales increase up to 18% with the addition of street trees
  • The #1 reason visitors stop is to use the bathroom

It's also worth noting that 70% of all consumer retail spending, including that of visitors, now takes place during the evening hours. "Are you open?" asks Brooks.

He also states, "If you don't hang out in your downtown, neither will visitors. Visitors go where residents go. If that's somewhere besides downtown, that's where visitors will go as well."

If you would like to learn more about the importance of downtown areas, or Brooks' insights, contact The Enterprise at 358-2000.
Jackalope Days 2018 is June 7-10
Community involvement encouraged
Save the date....JACKALOPE DAYS 2018 will take place the second weekend in June, carrying on a long-held Douglas tradition.

"City leaders," says Cindy Porter, Executive Director of The Enterprise, "have expressed a desire to see the festival grow and for more people to become involved. That truly takes the community rallying around the event, volunteering and participating in the gathering." If you or your organization would like to become involved, call Cindy at 358-2000. The Jackalope Days Committee will be meeting soon to begin planning.

Jackalope Days will again begin with Railroad Days on Thursday at the Train Museum and the First Thursday gathering will take place that same evening in downtown Douglas. A car show, street dance, rainbow run, brewfest, brown bag lunch and music in Jackalope Square are among the events planned for the following days. "It's always great to see our community gather in Jackalope Square, in the downtown area, and throughout Douglas," says Porter.

Stay informed about growing plans by following the event on Facebook via the link to the right.
Now is a great time to join The Enterprise!
Douglas is OPEN for business and The Enterprise is here to help!
By joining The Enterprise you'll be supporting those working to improve, enhance and beautify the Douglas community. You'll be supporting efforts to bring new business to Converse County. You'll be supporting those who are hosting events, like the farmers markets and Jackalope Days. You'll also be supporting local entrepreneurs, those who look to The Enterprise to vet an idea or develop a business plan. You'll be investing in your own community's future. Join today!
Thank you to our Corporate Members!
QUOTE-WORTHY...
"Volunteers are love in motion." — Author Unknown
Thank you to the volunteers in our community!
The Enterprise | 307.358.2000 | [email protected] | SeeWhatConverseCANDO.com