Dover creates ‘Unlock The Block’ small business program

In Dover, the Governor has announced plans to revitalize not just the downtown area of the capital, but the downtown areas of cities across the state.

Gov. John Carney is proposing putting $8.5 million into a program called the Downtown Development District program.

The program is part of Carney's new budget for fiscal year 2019. Although the program itself isn't new, the funds to help local business owners set up shop is at an all time high, especially for the downtown areas in Georgetown, Laurel and Dover.

"As I think about the challenges that we face in our state, one of them is to revitalize cities and towns to stimulate growth and development both in terms of the commercial and other sectors in the housing sector," says Gov. Carney on Monday.

In Dover, part of these funds will help with a new city program that aims to fill vacant lots with aspiring small business owners.

Getting people to downtown Dover isn't an issue, it's getting people to stop or even set up shop that's the difficult part.

"Throughout the course of the day there are hundreds of cars, if not thousands that come through here," says Tina Bradbury, of the Downtown Dover Partnership.

That's why Unlock the Block was created.

Bradbury says, "We're trying to get these vacancy spaces you see or as I call them opportunities filled. They are not vacant, they are waiting for someone to come in and open their doors and start a new business downtown."

It's a program aimed at helping prospective business owners to open up shops along downtown Dover's corridor.

It's a corridor that right now is filled with empty storefronts. A result of online shopping and big department stores, according to those with the program.

"This program is a concerted effort to highlight what's available and how people can get involved with the program and it's really to help entrepreneurs that are getting started and hopefully they will be able to establish themselves in a brick and mortar facility in downtown," explains Linda Parkowski, acting director of the Delaware Division of Small Business.

Whether it's assistance with finding a location, funds, or even marketing, 'Unlock the Block' is focused on helping small business owners and tenants with the entire process.

"They could be really good at producing whatever they're producing, but to be able to understand all of the things that they need to go through and fill out and forms, that's where this whole group partnership will be able to assist them," says Parkowski.

'Unlock the Block' will focus primarily on filling up first-floor commercial spaces on Loockerman Street and streets directly adjacent to Loockerman.  

If you're an aspiring local business entrepreneur, and want to learn more about the incentives in this new program visit www.DowntownDoverPartnership.com