Six new independent shops have opened on and around Main Street this fall, filling spaces that had been empty since the pandemic. On a recent Saturday morning, the block that once had more “For Lease” signs than open doors was busy with shoppers carrying paper bags of bread, stacks of used paperbacks and potted plants. For business owners who have spent years watching the street struggle, the change feels sudden. For the new arrivals, it is the result of long planning, careful math and a city grant program that helped bridge the gap between a good idea and a signed lease.
Who opened
A used bookstore, a sourdough bakery, a plant shop, a kids’ clothing swap, a record store and a bike repair shop. Together, they have brought roughly two dozen jobs and a noticeable lift in foot traffic to a stretch of downtown that had been quiet for several years.
- Dog-Ear Books fills a narrow former shoe store with floor-to-ceiling shelves of used fiction, local history and children’s books.
- Rise & Crumb bakes sourdough loaves, morning buns and seasonal pastries, and often sells out by early afternoon.
- Greenhouse on Main sells houseplants, cuttings and pots, and hosts repotting workshops on Sundays.
- Little Loop is a kids’ clothing swap where families trade outgrown clothes for credit.
- Side B Records stocks new and used vinyl, with listening stations and a monthly in-store set by local musicians.
- Spoke & Chain offers bike repairs, tune-ups and refurbished used bikes, with free air at the door.
Why now
Lower rents and a city grant program helped owners sign leases. After several years of vacancies, many landlords on Main Street lowered asking rents or offered shorter, more flexible leases. At the same time, the city’s Storefront Start grant, launched last year, offered up to $25,000 to new independent businesses opening in long-vacant downtown spaces.
The grant can pay for build-out costs such as new lighting, shelving, accessible entrances and signage. According to the city’s community and economic development office, 11 businesses have received grants so far, including five of the six that opened this fall. Recipients must commit to staying open at least three years and to keeping regular daytime hours on weekdays and Saturdays.
Several owners said the grant made the difference between opening this year and waiting another. Priya Natarajan, who runs Rise & Crumb with her husband, said the money paid for a second oven. “Without it, we’d be baking half as much bread and closing at ten,” she said. “With it, we have a line out the door at eight and we’re hiring.”
A shift in what downtown sells
Business leaders note that the new shops are different from the chains that left. Most are small, owner-operated and built around experiences that are hard to replicate online: browsing a shelf of used books, smelling fresh bread or getting a flat tire fixed while you wait. Several also host events, which keeps people on the street after work.
People want to shop local. They just needed somewhere to go.
Lila Grant, downtown business association
Grant, who directs the downtown business association, said the group surveyed residents last year and found strong demand for exactly the kinds of businesses that have now opened. “The top requests were a bakery, a bookstore and something for kids,” she said. “We got all three, and then some.”
Meet two of the owners
Dog-Ear Books owner Simone Avery spent 15 years as a school librarian before deciding to open her own shop. She built her first inventory from estate sales, library book sales and donations from friends, and she now buys used books from customers for store credit. “I wanted a place where a kid could spend two dollars and walk out with a book they love,” she said. Her children’s corner, with a small rug and a reading bench, has quickly become one of the busiest spots on the block on Saturday mornings.
At Little Loop, founder Kendra Ross says the idea came from her own closet full of outgrown baby clothes. Families bring in clean, gently worn clothing and receive credit toward other sizes. The shop also sells a small selection of new basics. Ross said she has signed up more than 400 families since opening in September, many of them from neighborhoods outside downtown.
What owners are seeing
It is early, and owners are careful not to overstate their success. Still, most described a strong start. Side B Records owner Marcus Delgado said Saturday sales have been well ahead of his projections, helped by students from nearby colleges. Spoke & Chain has a waiting list for tune-ups that stretches into November, according to owner Hannah Price.
The shops also say they are benefiting from each other. Customers who come for bread often walk next door to browse books or plants, and the owners have started cross-promoting with shared flyers and a joint loyalty card. On the first Friday of each month, several stay open late for a downtown stroll with live music and discounts.
The challenges ahead
Not every concern has disappeared. Owners cited rising costs for supplies, the difficulty of finding staff and uncertainty about how the winter months will go once foot traffic slows. Parking also remains a frequent complaint, though the city notes that the public garages a block away rarely fill on weekdays.
Some longtime business owners say the new wave of shops is encouraging but fragile. “We’ve seen good years before,” said Walter Brennan, who has run a hardware store on the street for 27 years. “The question is whether people keep showing up in February, when it’s dark at 4:30 and ten degrees out.”
Online competition is another pressure. Several owners said they cannot match internet prices on everything, so they focus instead on service, expertise and community. Side B Records will special-order albums for customers, Greenhouse on Main offers free plant advice and replacement cuttings, and Spoke & Chain teaches a free monthly class on basic bike maintenance. “If all I sell is a product, I lose,” Delgado said. “If I sell an afternoon, I win.”
The business association says it is planning winter events to keep shoppers coming, including a holiday market, a window decorating contest and extended Thursday hours through December. The city is also considering a second round of Storefront Start grants next year.
Key takeaway: Lower rents and city grants filled six empty storefronts this fall. Whether they thrive will depend on steady local shoppers through the winter.
How to support the new shops
Owners and the business association offered a few simple ways residents can help the new businesses get through their first year:
- Shop on weekdays, not just weekends, when sales are often slowest.
- Leave a review or tell a friend about a shop you like.
- Attend in-store events, workshops and the monthly downtown stroll.
- Buy gift cards for holidays and birthdays.
- Follow the shops on social media and share their posts.
Two more storefronts on Main Street are currently under renovation, and the business association expects at least one additional opening before the end of the year. For a street that spent several years looking tired, the change is visible from the sidewalk. Lights are on, doors are propped open and, on most mornings, there is a short line outside the bakery before it opens.
