Main Street Wilmington Grant Helps Urban Fork Bring New Energy to Market Street

Downtown Wilmington’s Market Street continues to welcome exciting new businesses, and Urban Fork, located at 201 N. Market Street, is a great example of how local entrepreneurs are helping bring new energy, investment, and activity to the city’s commercial district.

Downtown Visions, through its Main Street Wilmington program, recently awarded Urban Fork a $12,500 Façade Improvement Grant to help support the restaurant’s interior fit-out and signage. Made possible through the support of Comenity Bank, the investment helped transform a storefront that had been vacant for an extended period into an inviting new downtown dining destination.

Urban Fork is a Black-owned and female-owned business, led by owners Monica Thomas and Mekhi Green. Monica brought the concept to Wilmington after building a following in Philadelphia with Monz Crabby Dip, her catering and food truck business. At Urban Fork, that entrepreneurial spirit has evolved into a full-service restaurant featuring creative comfort food, seafood specialties, cocktails and brunch.

The restaurant has quickly attracted attention both locally and online. Urban Fork has developed a strong social media and marketing presence, with influencers helping introduce the restaurant and its distinctive dishes to new audiences. Out & About Magazine highlighted Urban Fork shortly after its opening, calling attention to menu items including Monz Signature Crabby Dip, lobster deviled eggs, seafood egg rolls and fried catfish po’boys. Delaware Online/The News Journal also featured Urban Fork among Delaware’s notable new restaurant openings.

For Downtown Visions and Main Street Wilmington, Urban Fork represents exactly the kind of small-business investment that can make a meaningful difference downtown: an entrepreneur taking a previously vacant space, investing in it, creating a destination and giving people another reason to visit Market Street.

The grant is part of Main Street Wilmington’s longstanding and successful Façade Improvement Program, and part of MSW’s broader effort to support downtown businesses, improve commercial properties and strengthen the vitality of Wilmington’s central business district.

Urban Fork
201 N. Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware

Visit Urban Fork to learn more about the restaurant, menu and hours.  https://www.eaturbanfork.com/

Generous Donations Help Fund Main Street Wilmington Program

Downtown Visions was recently awarded grants from Comenity Bank, Bank of America, and M&T Bank to support the efforts of the nonprofit’s Main Street Wilmington program. Without this generous support from our donors, Downtown Visions would not be able to run the programs, events, and initiatives for the Downtown community.

From its inception, Downtown Visions’ mission has been to help ignite business creation, enhance service delivery of businesses within the Downtown Wilmington Business Improvement District (BID), and ensure the BID is aesthetically pleasing, clean, and safe at all times.

These grants will be used to support DTV’s Main Street Wilmington Program, which provides the following services to the Downtown BID:

• Improve the façades and signage of businesses operating in Wilmington's Downtown BID and ensure authentic restorations of historic buildings by working with the City of Wilmington's Design Review and Preservation Commission and local historical nonprofits, such as the Delaware Historical Society, through our Facade Improvement Program.

• Boost economic development of businesses operating in the Wilmington Downtown BID by providing marketing and event support, and event creation, such as Curbside Wilmington.

• Continue with the visual transformation of Wilmington's Downtown BID to create a vibrant and visually pleasing shopping, dining, and living area through cleaning efforts

• Facilitate connections between civic officials, developers, and business owners to support strong economic growth and investment in the Downtown Business Improvement District.

9th Mile Galleria Event Center Awarded a Façade Grant of $8,025 through The Downtown Visions Main Street Façade Improvement Program

Through the Downtown Visions Main Street Façade Improvement Program the owner of 9th Mile Galleria located at 603 N Market Street was awarded a façade grant for $8,025.

The grant went towards both his front and back façade which included masonry, stucco, addressing concrete issues, structural framing, new doors, new transom, steel lintels, windows, trim  and exterior paint.

Interested in learning how Downtown Visions Main Street Program can help your business? Click here to learn more.

9th Mile Galleria is a state-of-the-art event center and banquet facility with a maximum occupancy of 100, with comfortable seating for 65. The venue hosts a variety of social events including birthday parties, graduations, bridal showers, baby showers, office parties, fundraisers, meetings, reunions, conventions, art shows, fashion shows, comedy shows, live shows, and events that occur on a recurring basis.

To reserve 9th Mile Galleria for your next event, call 215-356-8717 or visit  www.9thmilegalleria.com.

Transforming Wilmington One Façade at a Time-218 Grille, Residence Inn and 9th Mile Galleria Receive Grants

Within the Wilmington Downtown Business Improvement District, a block-by-block inventory done by Downtown Visions in 2009 showed that 78% of the buildings would benefit from improved façade treatments. Today, over 66 buildings have been improved, most recently 218 Grille, Residence Inn and the 9th Mile Galleria. 

A walk down Market Street proves that the program has been incredibly successful in the restoration of the once hidden and neglected historic character. Market Street now provides visitors and residents with a charming and welcoming atmosphere thanks to restored buildings and storefronts through Downtown Visions'  Façade Improvement Program and Main Street Program. Downtown Visions staff oversee each individual exterior improvement project from beginning to end as well as provide grants on a matching basis up to $25,000 per façade improvement. For more information on the program and how it could benefit your business or entrepreneurial venture, click here. 

Making Business Dreams a Reality - Downtown Visions Teams up with Comenity Bank to Support Stitch House and Margaux

Downtown Visions’ Façade Improvement Program is not only making our city a more beautiful place, it is also creating jobs and making business dreams a reality. Two of Wilmington's most recent popular dining scene additions received support through generous donations from Comenity Bank to the Façade Improvement Program.

Stitch House Brewery Economic Impact:

• Downtown Visions’ Interior Fit-Out Grant helped to bring the  very first Micro Brewery to Downtown Wilmington
•  The Downtown Visions Façade Improvement Program along with a generous donation from Comenity Bank offset a total interior construction cost of $788,693.79 with a $12,500 contribution.
• Added 170 indoor and 16 outdoor seasonal seats to the Downtown Community
• This project brought 31 new jobs to Downtown Wilmington
• Stitch House brings even more action to the Market Street corridor with hours 7 days a week (open until 1 AM Monday-Saturday)

Margaux Economic Impact:

• The opening of Margaux at 902 N Market St. created 22 new downtown jobs and opportunities
• The Downtown Visions Façade Improvement Program along with a generous donation from Comenity Bank offset a total construction cost of $370,000 with a $12,500 Interior Fit-Out Grant
• Added 74 new dining chairs to a destination restaurant in the heart of the Downtown area

Could your next big business idea use support from Downtown Visions, or would you like to support this impactful cause? Contact us to learn more.