Keeping in line with recent beautification and development efforts, the City of Dauphin has opened applications for the Storefront Improvement Incentive Program, which could see local businesses get as much as $5,000 from the City to improve the look and feel of their stores.
Martijn van Luijn, Dauphin's Economic Development Manager, said in past years it was focused around the downtown core, but now it's open to anyone with a commercial property in Dauphin. Though if you're renting your storefront, clear it with the building owner first.
"The Storefront Improvement Program is created and meant to improve the look and feel of your building. It can either be for building owners or can be for somebody that's renting that building, and if you apply you just need permission from the landlord to do that...used to be for things like painting, new signage, a new facade, that kind of thing, but lately we've been including safety features as well, so things like roll shutters, or cameras, or other things to improve the safety of your building and store," said van Luijn.
The City of Dauphin's Facebook post about the program lists eligible projects, which include new or improved signage, exterior lighting, window and facade upgrades, awnings and canopies, security improvements, and entranceway enhancements.
The main goal of the program is to give local business owners who are investing in their stores a bit of a helping hand with some of the costs. Van Luijn said it's a matching grant of up to $5,000 for eligible projects if approved.
"This is a matching program, so which means we fund up to 50% of your total cost, so if you have a project that has a budget of $10,000, you can apply for $5,000, so we essentially pay for half of it. If the project is more, then we will cap it at that $5,000...it's really to assist those commercial properties to increase their look and feel," said van Luijn.
Van Luijn has been working for the City of Dauphin for a long time now. He said in his years here, he's seen a lot of positive reception from business owners when it comes to development programs like this one, and he expected a good number of applicants.
"I've been here now for 25 years, and I've seen Dauphin's eagerness to grow and change for the better...any time I talk to the business owners, they see that we are very much alive and that we're trying, and we've seen growth, which is something that is very important for our community," said van Luijn.
For more details about the City of Dauphin's Storefront Improvement Incentive Program, or to apply, click here to visit the City's website.
