Downtown Kenosha businesses benefit from grant program
Downtown Kenosha businesses benefit from grant program
Downtown Kenosha is especially busy this time of year and the shops in the area are a big reason for that. Just last week, the Lakeshore Business Improvement District gave out grants to those shops so they can continue to grow, which could bring even more people to the city.
KENOSHA, Wis. - Downtown Kenosha is especially busy this time of year and the shops in the area are a big reason for that.
Just last week, the Lakeshore Business Improvement District gave out grants to those shops so they can continue to grow, which could bring even more people to the city.
Shop Downtown Kenosha
Grants for Kenosha businesses
What we know:
Downtown Kenosha is everything for Carolyn Serpe.
"It’s our heart. The business owners, we all group together, we band together, we bounce ideas off of each other. The people that come downtown love downtown," Serpe said.
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She is the VP of Sales and Marketing for an embroidery shop that has been around since 2002: The Lettering Machine.
The Lettering Machine
It’s one of sixteen businesses in the heart of the city to receive a grant from the district for store improvements.
With this money, around $5,000, they can now renovate their building and expand next door.
"We’re going to be able to offer more things, explore more things, learn more. It’s going to be a good opportunity," Serpe added.
And on the other side of downtown, Samantha Jacquest-Zura, the owner of Blue House Books, is excited to use the money to replace her front window. But she is just as thrilled about what this grant means.
Blue House Books
"It’s so great to see how much our community cares about the small businesses. The fact that they even put on this grant and allow us businesses to have access to this money, it’s just a huge, huge help," said Jacquest-Zura.
This is the second time these grants have been given out downtown. Recipients are decided based on the feasibility of the project and how much their project will benefit the city.
"We’re all about supporting each other, lifting each other up and so this is just the perfect example of that," added Jacquest-Zura.
Serpe is not only focused on what the grant stands for, but how she can begin to give back – to the community that for more than two decades – has embraced her.
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"We’re constantly thinking of ways to give back to the community, so if we can use the spaces that we have to help others build their future and their dreams, then why not?" said Serpe.
The Lakeshore Business Improvement District hopes to give another round of grants next summer and grow the amount of money they hand out.
They will be looking for sponsors to make that possible.
There isn’t a set date for when online applications open yet, but this year, they opened on April first and closed on July 1.
The Source: FOX6 spoke to Kenosha business owners to produce this story.