City planners and prospective participants in the Legacy Business Program met Sept. 29 at the Evanston Civic Center to discuss the scope of the new effort.
The program, intended for both Respect and ensure long-term stability Established Evanston businesses and organizations, has been Discussing for several months. Community members can nominate potential heritage businesses. Through the Google form.
Owners and representatives of Bennison’s Bakery, Hecky Barbecue, Chiropractic First, Belgian Chocolate Piron and Cahill Plumbing were among those who attended last week’s meeting. Council forward.
City officials making up the team are: City Council members Clare Kelly, 1st Ward, and Melissa Wynn, 3rd Ward; Conservation Commissioners Carl Klein and Susie Reinhold; Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmazek; and city planner Cade Sterling. Kelly, Klein, Reinhold and Sterling all attended the September 29 meeting.
“Businesses become part of the collective memory of the people of Evanston,” Sterling said at the meeting. “… there are some people who define a neighborhood by business.
Sterling said the program seeks to celebrate the history of long-standing Evanston businesses as well as provide business owners who need financial and/or strategic assistance.
The city has allocated $100,000 to start the program, Kelly said. Sterling said he thought an allocation of $500,000 in subsequent years would be enough to fund five to 10 businesses and provide promotional services to other participants.
Businesses are encouraged to nominate themselves for the award, Kelly said. To be eligible for consideration, the business must have been open for at least 20 years.
The potential help the program actually offers is up in the air; Participants talked about rental assistance, for example, but it was not yet clear what form it would take.
Sterling suggested the city could help business owners contend with difficult landlords and encourage those landlords to negotiate long-term leases.
Maggie Smith of Chiropractic First said, however, that small business owners sometimes have to use the prospect of relocating to get favorable terms from landlords — so businesses can sometimes find a shorter lease is preferable.
The group also discussed direct funding for business owners, but most agreed that, if it comes to fruition, the aid would be one-time.
Reinhold predicted that the program’s coffers would quickly be depleted if direct funding was promised too long. Other types of assistance may include consulting services or assistance with developing business plans.
Another key component of the program will be outreach to the community; A request for proposal has already been sent to Design and Web Services. Group participants saw sample promotional materials, such as plaques and tote bags, from a similar heritage program in San Francisco on September 29.
Sterling said that of the 31 businesses nominated as Legacy Business participants, most were outside of downtown and many were not part of a business district organization like Downtown Evanston. He said he hopes the Legacy Business Program will help bring attention to their work and help as many businesses in the city prepare for the challenges of the future as possible.
