ECOMMERCE READINESS PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM

In partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Small Business Development Center, the DIA, in 2022, continued our program to help assist Downtown Ithaca Retailers in e-commerce readiness.

For this two-part program, Downtown Ithaca retailers enroll in the SBDC eCommerce Strategy Program (an individually packaged technical assistance consulting program tailored to the client). Upon completing this technical assistance, they would be eligible to receive an implementation grant from the DIA for up to $1,000 on pre-approved eCommerce-related costs. In 2022, five downtown businesses — Adrina Dietra, Handwork, One Ring Donuts, Mane and Wigs and One World Market — joined this program, creating a total of 10 since the program’s 2021 inception.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT, VISITATIONS, & OUTREACH

In 2022, we continued to offer targeted technical support by meeting one-on-one with businesses for in-depth discussions on COVID-recovery, marketing, management, succession planning, vacancy visits, and operational concerns. To do so, we collectively worked one-on-one with 20+ individuals and the entire BID area.

Each year, the DIA also seeks to visit downtown businesses to learn about their concerns, issues, and opportunities. With the ongoing pandemic, the outreach efforts involved monthly virtual check-in meetings that included updates regarding vaccination requirements, masking mandates, business reopenings, capacity limits, personnel management, relief funding, and information on support/marketing efforts within the BID.

Networking

Our in-person Merchant Appreciation Night networking events remained paused in 2022 due to the pandemic.

POP-UP PROGRAM

In 2020, we launched a Pop Up Program. This latest DIA initiative is designed to provide short-term leases to help support local entrepreneurs seeking temporary business spaces. Pop-Up contracts are affordable for entrepreneurs, and the agreements vary from vendor to vendor depending on the building and the entrepreneur’s circumstances. In 2022, we welcomed one pop-up business — Adam Grill — that became a permanent business in the Center Ithaca Food Court.

Downtown Real Estate Database

In 2021, we launched LOIS, a digital platform that supplies a search database of office and retail real estate availability in our community. During the first year of utilizing this program, we prioritized the data collection for office vacancies as the first phase of our office attraction initiative. This platform is intended to help various entrepreneurs find a home for their business, assist property owners market, and increase their reach to potential tenants.

To access the platform, visit downtownithaca.com/businessdevelopment/lois/

Summer Sale Weekends

The Downtown Ithaca Alliance organizes and promotes sales in Downtown shops during the summer months. Participating retailers in the district offer discounts on seasonal apparel and merchandise ranging from 10-50% off.

Shop Small Weekend

Downtown Ithaca Alliance combined multiple holiday sales/related one-day promotions — Black/Plaid/Green Friday, Small Business Saturday & Cyber Monday — in Shop Small Weekend, one long weekend focusing on the importance of shopping at small, local businesses.

Retail Committee

As of January 2022, we have launched an official Retail Committee to continue these targeted efforts to address this sector’s goals and concerns. We continue to dispense monthly Merchant Updates newsletters, creating a digest of relevant topics and regular downtown and business operations newsworthy events.

RETAIL MICROGRANT - C.R.E.G.

The Collaborative Retail Experience Grant was launched in 2019. In its second year, the CREG program allowed businesses within the BID to organize and administer shared, collaborative promotional, and small in-person or virtual foot traffic-generating projects. This program is geared towards empowering ground-level businesses to try something new and doing so with the cooperation of other downtown merchants (as well as local artists, non-profit organizations, etc).

We awarded small matching micro-grants to groups of merchants who collaborated on such events/promotions. The merchant project leader and supporting merchant’s time matched the awarded funding. Businesses were invited to apply for up to $500 per project twice, or once for a single project up to $1,000 in the calendar year (with application pre-approval from the Business Development Director for the higher valued award).

Buffalo Street Books was the sole CREG awardee in 2022, securing funding for its new Book Fair.

22 New Businesses In 2022

This past year was a period of regrowth and new investment in our small business sector. The addition of these 22 new businesses has contributed to the continued revitalization and diversification of our community’s central commercial hub.

2022-March 2023 NEW BUSINESSES OPENED

BRGR Hub, 146 E. State St.

Empire Raw Juice and Smoothies, 112 W. Green St.

Lev Kitchen, 222 E. State St.

Paris Baguette, 125 E. State St.

Revelry Yards, 111 N. Aurora St.

Seven Of-Jazz Club, 106 S. Cayuga St.

Tableside - Ithaca Wine Ventures, 112 N. Cayuga St.

Good Choices, 109 A E State St

The Gallery, 114 W Green St

Yellow Deli, 143 E State St

Mix Gallery, 156 E State St 2nd Floor

The Rest Gallery, 113 W. State St.

Cayuga Smoke Shop, 207 N Aurora St

Covenstead Workplaces, 203 N Aurora St

5 Sisters Performance Arts, 119 S Cayuga St #301

Ithaca Medical Aesthetics,108 N Cayuga St Suite 7

Envious Vegan Handbags,123 S Cayuga St ground fl

360 Moment, Dewitt Mall, 215 N Cayuga St 2nd floor

Choice Words, 120 W. State Street, Suite 204

Purposeful Parenting, 207 N Geneva St

The Ithacan Leasing Office, 215 E. State Street

Van Noble Farm, 215 N Cayuga St Dewitt Mall

The Vintage Industry, 215 N Cayuga St Dewitt Mall

EXISTING DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES WHO RELOCATED WITHIN THE DISTRICT:

Adrina Dietra, 111 W State St

Partnership

We again partnered with the Tompkins County Convention and Visitor Bureau on the February 2022 Ithaca Loves Teachers promotion featuring discounts and deals on dining, shopping, and services at our shops, restaurants, and other businesses.

SewGreen, 112 W Green St #5

AlleyCat Cafe, 112 N Cayuga St

Alicia Diane Photography, 108 North Cayuga, Second Floor, suite 5

2022-early 2023 BUSINESS CLOSURES

Eleven businesses closed and one business moved out of the district.