Small Business Saturday is going to be incredible!

Our Downtown community is gearing up for a truly impressive Small Business Saturday on November 28.

The Wilmington Jaycee's Christmas Parade starts at 11:00, followed immediately by photos with Santa at the Grand Opera House.

Throughout the afternoon, you'll have a chance to enjoy shopping at a variety of businesses with live music as well as great productions at The Grand and The Playhouse Theatre.

And, Gable Music Ventures is holding Wilmo Rock Circus at World Cafe Live at the Queen from 5:30 until 1:00 in the morning! This event features 15 bands from all over the East Coast.

Bring your family and friends out for a great day of fun, music, entertainment, food, and shopping!

Marty

Delaware Today Magazine Calls Wilmington Cool

Delaware Today Magazine just published a great story on Downtown Wilmington:

The Birth of Cool: Wilmington Grows in Popularity

Here's a couple of excerpts:

singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke played at the groundbreaking of the World Cafe Live at the Queen—in the middle of Market Street, in the middle of a workday, with hundreds of very excited people gathered ’round. It seemed to me that Wilmington had crossed some threshold of cool.

...

Downtown Wilmington now has the coffee shops and music, and plenty of people—urbane locals and newcomers have caught on—in numbers sufficient to support even more new housing. By the end of the year, BPG will have created well over 1,000 units, with more on the way soon, and it aims to attract five new restaurants downtown over the next 12 months.

You can read the entire piece here.

I am thrilled with the public recognition we're getting in Downtown Wilmington - a cool place for dining, entertainment and living.

Marty

Making it easier to invest in Downtown Wilmington

The new Downtown Development District plan to encourage investments in properties in downtown areas of Wilmington, Dover, and Seaford is getting better.

Administrators with the Delaware State Housing Authority are proposing a series of changes to the program that will, among other things, lower the minimum qualified investment threshold from $25,000 to $15,000.

Click Here to learn more about this exciting program.

I appreciate all that the state of Delaware is doing to encourage people to live, work, play, and invest in our downtown.

Marty

A meeting you don't want to miss

Back in February, I was part of the group that announced the new Downtown Development District plan - designed to encourage investments in our downtown area.

On Friday, August 21, there will be a meeting to go over the plan, including some changes that make it easier to participate.

I would encourage everyone to take some time and attend this meeting.

Hope to see you there.

Marty

More good news about starting a business in Wilmington

The good news about Downtown Wilmington continues!

Just days after being named one of the top cities for starting a business by Entrepreneur Magazine, we find out that Wilmington has been named a winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration's first ever "Startup in a Day" contest which carries a $50,000 prize to support business development.

Mayor Dennis Williams, Wilmington Economic Development Director Jeff Flynn, and Small and Minority Business Office Manager Denita Thomas all deserve kudos for their work in making this happen.

Marty

P.S. You can click here to see the full press release about this award.