The Downtown Strong: Building Resilient Economies program is provided through a grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) that continues to impact 20 Missouri communities. In these 20 communities, there are 62 businesses and 16 organizations that have been and will be impacted as this grant continues to work with awardees. The Dutchtown neighborhood of St. Louis is home to the Neighborhood Innovation Center (NICstl) who applied and was endorsed by Downtown Dutchtown, a St, Louis Main Streets program.

NICstl is a startup 501c(3) nonprofit that was created in 2019. Formed from the founders' desire to put a vacant bank building to productive use, it provides a place-based innovation community in Downtown Dutchtown. Innovation communities are places where groups of entrepreneurial minded people can come together and share their thoughts, ideas, struggles, and resources in the pursuit of their goals of innovation.

The Dutchtown neighborhood is a small neighborhood commercial district on the south side of St. Louis. It is surrounded by residential and a growing base of local businesses. The commercial district is part of Missouri Main Street Connection’s St. Louis Main Streets program. Unlike other areas of the St. Louis Metropolitan area, the area has no business incubator, maker space, workforce training center, or other entities that offer similar services to the NICstl. Thus, the NICstl provides this resource desert with an oasis for the residents and businesses in the area.

NICstl requested assistance in updating their business plan to achieve the three pillars of innovation, excellence, and ownership of their building through identifying suitable financing options. The three pillars would allow NICstl to:

1. Become a center of digital training & cloud certifications for residents while preparing them for quality jobs and supporting local businesses.

    

2. Become an incubator for small/micro/nano/solo enterprises and an accelerator for existing small business or nonprofits in digital transformation.

    

3. Provide direct business support programs - matching local talents and global network of professional volunteers to Downtown Dutchtown businesses (Neighborhood Talent Pool and Small Business Help Desk).

Jon Stover & Associates, LLC worked to address the pillars and help NICstl define and articulate their mission, update their business plan, and evaluate funding options.

The funding was a critical piece for NICstl.  In October 2019, they entered into a 3-year lease agreement with an option to buy their building at the end of the lease. But, just six months later the pandemic changed everything and the operation of NICstl became even more critical to the neighborhood. During the beginning of the pandemic and still today they act as the center of collaboration among all main community eco-system partners. They needed to purchase the building by the end of their lease, or they could lose the building and their ability to provide these services.

Together, Jon Stover & Associates, LLC and NICstl narrowed their funding options and prepared NICstl to apply for the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program through the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Through donations for tax credits, the program would allow NICstl to raise funds for the purchase and renovation of the building. The application was submitted by NICstl and successfully awarded in July of 2022, in time to complete the sale by the deadline. There is still a lot of work to do, but not only is this a success for NICstl, it is a true success for the Dutchtown neighborhood. A win-win!

The services included in this article were prepared by Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. using Federal funds under award 05-79-06056 from Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) launched St. Louis Main Streets as a pilot program in late 2019 and accepted the first district in February of 2020, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dutchtown was the first district, followed by Laclede’s Landing in August of 2020, and Delmar in June of 2021. Each attended a workshop prior to applying for the pilot program and were selected through a competitive application process. 

Each district reflects the unique qualities of its history, layout, and residents making them very different – Dutchtown is more of a neighborhood commercial district with a large amount of diversity from various backgrounds. Laclede’s Landing is where St. Louis began and the district only encompasses a few blocks with about 50 residents. Delmar is a linear district that is very automobile-centric with Delmar Boulevard and its long history of dividing the district, and even the city, to the north and south.

By the beginning of 2022, each district had formed their non-profit Main Street program with a board of directors and Main Street committees. Through this process, MMSC has helped them assess their district with the various stakeholder groups, gathered information from the residents, provided training on Main Street principles, and recommended Transformation Strategies (priorities) for each district. 

Dutchtown Main Streets has adopted two Transformation Strategies: serving the neighborhood and entrepreneurship development. Their district has a lot of families and they want activities, businesses, and services for the young and old. With the Neighborhood Innovation Center in the heart of the district, the entrepreneurship strategy made sense to help support those already in the district as well as to help grow small business owners within the district to fill the commercial vacancies and increase building ownership.

Laclede’s Landing Main Street is considering the strategies of riverfront activation and neighborhood goods and services. Building owners and developers have been working on upper floor housing for a few years because the district wants to be a neighborhood, not just a place to work or visit. To support this housing initiative, the strategy of neighborhood goods and services will cater to those new residents with places to eat, buy groceries, relax in the evening, or stroll with their dogs. The riverfront activation is a strategy to leverage the beautiful and under-utilized Mississippi River area. The Main Street group wants to add event space, both indoors and out, promote a bike rental business, add a marina, and create a river walk.

Delmar Main Street is reviewing their Transformation Strategy recommendations of people-centered places and entrepreneurship & equitable development.  There are several spots along Delmar Boulevard to create people-centered pop-up shops or food truck villages to test the market for future, more permanent businesses.  Delmar Main Street will now consider whether art and placemaking amenities can extend along the boulevard to bring people to the district from the adjacent neighborhoods to support the local businesses. There are already many small business owners in the district and the Main Street program will need to support those early entrepreneurs while attracting and equipping new business owners for success. These are some of the areas of work for the Delmar Main Street group.

Future work by MMSC and the St. Louis Main Streets districts will include diving into market and demographic data to help with decisions about retention and recruitment of new businesses, marketing properties for development, and supporting entrepreneurship through a partnership with Main Street America and the Kauffman Foundation.  Stay tuned for future updates on these three districts. 

Regular maintenance allows building owners to protect their building investment and to prevent larger, more expensive problems in the future. Summer brings excessive heat, storms, and vegetation growth that can compromise the structural integrity of unprotected buildings if not dealt with in a timely manner. Here are some steps that building owners can take for these summer months:

Summer Heat & HVAC Systems

Check and service HVAC systems to prevent failures (30 min).

Summer Storms & Water Damage

Check the grading around the foundation to make sure water will drain away from building and not pool (15 min).

Inspect the interior of the building for leaks during first heavy rain of season (30 min).

Inspect basements or crawl spaces for excessive water during wet weather (30 min).

Examine roof slope to make sure water is not pooling in any areas on the roof (15 min).

Make sure water can flow freely through the gutters and downspouts. Clean out if they are clogged (30 min).

Sweep debris from flat or low sloping roofs (30 min).

Vegetation Growth & Property Inspections:

Remove plants growing on or close to walls and foundation (30 min).

Visually check for moss or lichen, especially around parapets, sills, and downspouts (30 min).

It takes a community to accomplish successful downtown revitalization work. With the many events local Main Streets put on and the committees that put in the time to strategically implement the Main Street Approach™, Main Street can never have enough volunteers. The good thing is each Main Street district has a community full of people that are proud of their downtown, want to see it thrive, and be a place to spend time. Volunteer recruitment is easier said than done with many challenges arising including lack of time and interest of community members. Don’t be discouraged by the challenges as some may need only a little nudge or personal invite to participate and join Main Street as a volunteer. There are many ways for organizations to recruit volunteers from innovative campaigns to partnership or relationship requests to booths at events manned by current board and committee members to personal invites. If you are lucky you may even get that outgoing person who shows up at your office asking what they can do to help!

Warrensburg Main Street submitted two nominations for the “I Spy… Great Work” award that show, despite the challenge in recruiting volunteers, it is possible if you look around your community because you never know who will say yes unless you ask. In appreciation for their work, Warrensburg Main Street has nominated the Whiteman Air Force Base for “I Spy…Great Work”. This nomination enters the base into the running for Volunteer of the Year at the 2022 Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference in August. The nomination was submitted by Jill Purvis, Executive Director from Warrensburg Main Street:

“In 2019, Warrensburg Main Street began working towards a stronger relationship with our neighbors, Whiteman Air Force Base. There are approximately 3,800 active duty member and 5,000 family members that call Whiteman home. Located about 15 minutes from Warrensburg, this ever-changing group has historically been very challenging to engage. Through various connections within our organization and utilizing connections from community members, we have been able to increase our name recognition and support at Whiteman AFB. Since 2021, Whiteman Air Force Base has become a HUGE volunteer hub for Warrensburg Main Street! Our goal is to connect the community members on the base to our downtown for events, shopping, services, and volunteer opportunities. The Whiteman team has helped volunteer at Burg Fest, Piccadilly, Farm to Table, Downtown Clean-ups and our annual Dickens' Christmas event. Whether we ask for 4 volunteers or 30, they show up ready to help and get work done for our organization. They have become such an important group to our organization as a volunteer base with their willingness and the enthusiasm they bring when they come to volunteer. In 2021 alone, they contributed over 450 volunteer hours for Warrensburg Main Street. We have also been able to identify leaders on the base to join committees and our board that brings much need diversification to Warrensburg Main Street. We are excited to see how this relationship progresses in the future and are continuing to find ways to engage this important group of community members.”

Warrensburg Main Street also submitted a second nomination for “I Spy… Great Work.” This nomination nominates the youngest Main Street volunteer in Warrensburg and maybe even Missouri, Emerson Elkins:

“Emerson and the Elkins family are residents of downtown and live in a beautifully renovated loft. As Emerson frequently walks in downtown and often visits the Farmers' Market and Main Street events, he started to notice an increase in trash downtown especially during the winter months.  We recently spied Emerson doing his part to keep downtown beautiful and vibrant by taking it upon himself to pick up trash on his frequent walks downtown.  He can be seen on his gator driving around the streets of downtown picking up trash in the alleys, parking lots, and streets. Emerson is doing his part to keep his community and our downtown clean and tidy for all residents and visitors. The best part is Emerson is only 4 years old and the youngest Main Street volunteer!”

The Whiteman Air Force Base and Emerson are not the only volunteers with Warrensburg Main Street. They reported 2,671 hours of volunteer time in 2021 equating to $72,677.91, which is a huge community investment in downtown! The Independent Sector values volunteer time in Missouri at $27.21 an hour (as of April 2022).

Missouri Main Street Connection recognizes the time and sacrifices it takes to volunteer at a nonprofit. Along with our local Main Street programs, we thank everyone who has volunteered with Main Street. Nominations for this year’s “I Spy…Great Work” have concluded, but if you see individuals in your community that are completing great work by volunteering for Main Street, contact your local Main Street program and recommend they be highlighted in the future.

If you want to find resources on how to recruit, train, and recognize your volunteers, look through our resource library which is open to MMSC investors. Not an investor? Email Staci at staci@momainstreet.org to find out how.

A core component to a strong local Main Street organization, that is recognized by Missouri Main Street Connection and Main Street America, is having a diversified board of directors. This comes from a mix of different skills and experiences, personal characteristics, the 4 W’s (which are wealth, wisdom, worker, and worrier), community affiliations, and more. Each Main Street board of directors is a unique mix of these factors that comes from and reflects the community that they serve.

This month we are highlighting Eric Osen who was nominated by Downtown Joplin Alliance for “I Spy…Great Work” in appreciation for his work. This nomination enters Eric into the running for Volunteer of the Year at the 2022 Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference in August. The nomination was submitted by Lori Haun, Executive Director of Downtown Joplin Alliance:

“Eric is a Missouri Master Gardener who had dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours towards making the Community Gardens at the Empire Market come alive. He helps tend the garden beds and works to improve the overall quality of our farmers market facility. He has led several projects involving the community and our local Youth Volunteer Corps including building a keyhole garden, beautification of our property, teaching topics ranging from winterizing garden beds to the lifecycles of ladybugs to crafting zombie scarecrows. Eric shows up for us, all of the time. Whether it is helping to launch an adult gardening education series, fixing random appliances, or scraping ice from the walkways, we know we can count on Eric to help make our market, and thus our downtown, a better place to be.”

Eric Osen is an excellent example of an outstanding community member who uses his unique skills, experiences, and personal characteristics to contribute to Main Street and his community. His expertise, leadership, and affiliation with the Missouri Master Gardeners makes him a huge asset to Downtown Joplin Alliance.

Eric is not the only one volunteering with Downtown Joplin Alliance. They reported 1,425 hours of volunteer time in 2021 equating to $38.774.25, which is a huge community investment in downtown! The Independent Sector values volunteer time in Missouri at $27.21 an hour (as of April 2022).

Missouri Main Street Connection recognizes the time and sacrifices it takes to volunteer at a nonprofit. Along with our local Main Street programs, we thank everyone who has volunteered with Main Street. Nominations for this year’s “I Spy…Great Work” have concluded, but if you see individuals in your community that are completing great work by volunteering for Main Street, contact your local Main Street program and recommend they be highlighted in the future.

If you want to find resources on how to recruit, train, and recognize your volunteers, look through our resource library which is open to MMSC investors. Not an investor? Email Staci at staci@momainstreet.org to find out how.