COLUMBIA, S.C. — If you’ve driven through Five Points recently, you may have noticed a few cosmetic changes. This is partly because several businesses have received funding from the City of Columbia and have begun making improvements to their appearances.
The money comes from the city's Commercial Retention and Redevelopment program. According to Bret Whiting, the funding is intended to help spruce up commercial locations.
“By improving the look of the business, it’ll be more attractive to potential customers.”
The funding works as a forgivable loan. Businesses submit their application and can receive up to $15,000 for their exterior and $10,000 for their interior. Whiting also says there is a potential bonus for new businesses. Once a business receives the money, they must stay open for the next two years and they won’t have to pay back any of the money.
Already, a number of shops have taken advantage of the money. The owner of Good for the Sole Shoes, Kelly Tabor, was able to use the money to help his shop’s appearance.
“It’s been a game changer for us because I’ve been wanting to paint the outside of the building for a long time.”
He says its also important to have money like this to bring in customers. “It’s important to have the outside of our businesses looking good and attractive to bring people in the area and want to shop with us.”
Amy Beth Franks, owner of The Gourmet Shop, used funding to change her shop’s exterior and interior. She also wanted to use the money to help out others.
“We got our new chairs in our dining from a company out of Spartanburg. We used a local company for the awning and for the design work. It was important for us when using this grant money, we didn’t just keep it here, we spread it as much as our resources as possible.”
Businesses interested in the next round of funding can apply beginning at the start of July. For more information, click here.