Downtown Frankfort Partnership Wants to Unlock Business District's Potential

Frankfort's historic downtown is one of the village's most distinctive features. But it also comes with challenges, especially for the businesses occupying it.

That's where the Downtown Frankfort Partnership comes in.

With a multitasking mission to preserve, develop and promote the village's downtown, the partnership, now in its fourth year, works with businesses to achieve these goals through education, event planning and capital improvements. It's through these efforts that the organization is trying to keep the downtown district profitable and vibrant.

Signs Mark the Spots

After several years of research and planning, the partnership, which consists of downtown building owners, business owners and residents, achieved its first major capital improvements goal this year: .

The existing monument gateway signs at LaGrange Road and Old Frankfort Way and LaGrange Road and Nebraska Street were refaced this summer, said the committee's village liaison Tony Miniette. The signs now feature a contemporary look with sleeker lines, lighter colors and the village's current logo.

The signs also announce to visitors that, although it might look like they are entering a residential area, they are actually heading into the downtown business district, said committee member Peg Paul, owner of the downtown business Peg Paul and Associates.

In addition, wayfinding signs mounted on light poles direct visitors to local attractions such as shopping, dining, parking, and . A large cobblestone kiosk has been ordered, as well, and will be located just off the trail by the restroom building at Breidert Green.

"The businesses were excited about that because there's nothing there now that shows what's going on," said committee member Teresa Kara, owner of . Kara also serves on the , a group of downtown retail merchants who sponsor promotional events like and .

Spending Money to Make Money

The Downtown Retail Grant Program has been another successful outreach to attract new businesses to the downtown area with six $10,000 grants given out over the past two and a half years, said Zach Brown, planning supervisor for the .

After moving through a detailed application process, a business owner can be reimbursed for up to $10,000 in pre-approved improvements to his or her new business.

Nancy Cartolano, owner of , recently . She used the money to refinish the floors of her newly acquired historic building, in addition to recementing and rebricking the front porch and converting the existing kitchen into a kitchenette/office/work room space.

"We put (the grant money) to good use," said Cartolano, who and is pleased with how business is going so far in a challenging economy.

"But that's what we need is for people to take risks. I did," she added.

And the grant money provides incentive for people do that, Cartolano believes.

Planning for the Future

With the major signs in place (the group would still like to see some sort of identifying banners for businesses, but that discussion is currently on hold) and the retail grant program funded for a third year, the Downtown Frankfort Partnership is now taking stock of how far it has come and what it needs to do next to help revitalize the downtown.

"We're in a transition time," Paul said.

At the partnership's upcoming meeting, Paul said members will discuss what project to tackle next from a list of recommendations in a strategic report prepared in July 2007.

"Things have changed since then," Paul said. "We have to redefine our priorities."

Part of the problem is people traffic, Kara said. Or really, it's the lack of that sort of traffic.

"We don't have a train (that runs through downtown). We don't have a river for a river walk," she said.

"Basically, we have a bike trail," Paul added. "And that's great. But feedback from people who came to the (an event Downtown Frankfort Partnership helped sponsor) said they didn't know this downtown area was down here."

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As the committee looks to the future and begins setting new goals, Paul said members will continue talking about the type of businesses that would do well downtown. They'll also look at the demographics of who visits the area, including families with kids who attend the year-round events along with the trail users.

Discussions are lively at partnership meetings, with members representing different parts of the downtown puzzle. But together they're making things work for the good of downtown Frankfort.