EVANSTON, IL — Evanston has opened applications for Space to Place, a new shared marketplace retail incubator the city said will open this fall in downtown Evanston.
Applications for the inaugural cohort are due Aug. 5, and 15 spots are available for Evanston-based businesses selling retail goods and packaged food and beverage.
According to the city, the program is designed to connect two local needs: vacancy challenges in ground-floor commercial spaces downtown and demand from entrepreneurs seeking an affordable, low-risk way to test a physical storefront. Selected businesses will receive subsidized short-term retail space, business training and what the city described as a structured pathway toward permanent commercial tenancy.
The initiative was introduced this spring through a landscape assessment survey led by the city and retail activation strategist Claire Seizovic. According to the city, more than 100 Evanston business owners responded about what they would need to test a physical storefront. The city said those responses shaped the program's design, including a single shared marketplace space, a low monthly participation fee plus a percentage of sales instead of fixed rent, and an equity priority for woman-, minority-, LGBTQ+- and veteran-owned businesses.
"The survey told us exactly what Evanston business owners need: affordable space, real mentorship, and a clear path to permanent tenancy," Seizovic said. "We heard from entrepreneurs who had the concept and the customers but never the access, and after seeing what's possible with the ENSEMBLE markets, we knew that energy deserved a more permanent home. Space to Place is that home."
The city said participating businesses will each get a dedicated 100-square-foot retail footprint inside a 3,000-square-foot shared marketplace. The program also includes a shared point-of-sale system, business training and mentorship, city marketing support, and access to experts in licensing, brand strategy, financial planning and lease negotiation.
According to the city, the program will run from October through December 2026, with the marketplace open at least four days a week. Specific hours will be announced closer to launch.
The city also cited similar programs elsewhere, including one in San Francisco that achieved a 60 percent long-term lease conversion rate and a Chicago program that housed 29 businesses and helped eight secure permanent locations.
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