Two new downtown businesses hope to tap city for grants – Gaston Gazette

Michael Barrett Gazette staff GazetteMike

Jessica Haywood shelled out plenty of her hard-earned money to open Cotton Candy Kids Boutique in downtown Gastonia in May.

Now, shes one of two new business owners asking the city for help through a program aimed at fostering and strengthening downtown commerce.

Gastonias IDEAL program was founded in 2009 and stands for Investment in Downtown Economic Assistance and Livability. It allows for the distribution of grants to businesses that have paid for building improvements, facade upgrades or architectural services in the course of opening or improving an existing commercial venture.

All funds for the grants come from a municipal service district tax paid solely by downtown property owners. No property tax revenue is involved.

In terms of a financial commitment, the IDEAL program isnt what it once was. For the current budget year, City Council members reserved only $45,749 for qualifying applicants. Thats far below what the city was pumping into the initiative during the first few years of its inception.

But it continues to be a resource that can be tapped to provide a little extra monetary cushion for entrepreneurs on and around Main Avenue.

Members of the Central City Revitalization and Housing Committee endorsed the two latest proposals during a meeting Wednesday. They recommended giving $648 to Cotton Candy Kids Boutique for faade improvements made to the building at 111. E. Main Ave.

Committee members also recommended awarding $11,130 in faade upfit funds and $1,500 for an architectural services grant to Greg Simpson, the owner of Guilty Pleasures Bakery and Catering. He recently moved his nine-year-old business from Garrison Boulevard to its new location at 201 E. Franklin Blvd.

Simpson actually requested a total of $30,500 in IDEAL grant funding to help pay for a portion of what he spent improving the building at his new location. Haywood herself turned in receipts showing she spent $1,300 to put up a new sign and repaint her storefront.

But the city determines eligibility in part by calculating the square footage of the space being leased by the business, among other factors. The amounts recommended by the Central City committee represent the maximums the two businesses were capable of receiving.

City Council members will consider the recommendation later this month.

The city most recently awarded $32,000 in IDEAL grants late last year for Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, Cavendish Brewing Co., and the owner of the Merit Building on Main Avenue. Since 2009, the city has paid out a total of nearly $189,000 for the grants to 33 businesses, some of which have since closed.

Cotton Candy Kids Boutique offers new childrens clothes, toys and jewelry, along with gently-used secondhand clothing in quality condition. Haywood signed a three-year lease on her building this year.

Guilty Pleasures is a full-service caterer and bakery that has expanded to include a larger tasting area, kitchen and retail space. It also now offers pre-cooked, take-home frozen meals.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

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Two new downtown businesses hope to tap city for grants - Gaston Gazette