Downtown Delaware Revitalize Conference

There is nothing like a gathering of professionals involved with the development of downtown districts. On March 16, Downtown Visions was honored to host such a gathering of professionals from Seaford, Milford, Dover, Newark, Middletown, New Castle, and more great cities throughout the First State.

Throughout the day, we heard from Governor Jack Markell, Delaware Economic Development Director Bernice Whaley, Mayor Dennis Williams, City Councilwoman Hanifa Shabazz, Hal Real, Dr. Carrie Grey, Mike Hare, and many others sharing about experiences and visions for our downtown districts.

There is no doubt that we are seeing a real revitalization of our downtowns throughout the country as more people want to enjoy living, working, and enjoying life in a walkable area.

We were happy to be able to show off our Downtown area to our friends from around the state. They got to experience World Cafe Live at the Queen, the baby Grand, and dozens of our great restaurants.

I am proud to work with so many people who are committed to making life better for all who love, work, and play downtown.

Marty

The Queen Theater Featured as a success story

Reinvestment Fund is a catalyst for change that integrates data, policy and strategic investments to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the region. 

The Reinvestment Fund website has just listed Downtown Wilmington's Queen Theater as one of their success stories.

Here's an excerpt:

Wilmington, Delaware is experiencing a period of change mirroring that of numerous cities across the country, where there is renewed interest in spending time downtown after the workday has ended. In Wilmington, revitalization efforts have focused on ten full blocks along Market Street, attempting to breathe new life into the city’s most historic commercial corridor.

The revival of the Queen Theater, in particular, is providing compelling reasons for Wilmington’s large working community to venture out to Market Street.

Click Here to see the full post and enjoy a great video featuring Hal Real, Gable Music Ventures, and Angela Sheik.

I am so proud of the great venues we have in Wilmington for all of our talented performers.

Marty

Wilmington named one of top 5 cities for locating a coding school

It was just a couple of months ago that Wilmington was named a top city for startups, now we're in the top 5 list for locating a coding school.

Course Report is a site dedicated to offering reviews, insights, and analysis of coding bootcamps around the country. In a recent post, the site listed the five cities that should be considered for coding schools.

Here's an excerpt:

People wanting to learn to code in Wilmington can take advantage of coding bootcamp Zip Code Wilmington which opened its doors in September 2015. And national women’s coding organization Girl Develop It has a chapter in Wilmington, offering short courses and information sessions.

Click Here to read the full post.

I am proud of the great work being done here in Downtown Wilmington.

Marty

New skills lead to changed lives in Wilmington

I have posted about Delaware's premier coding school - ZipCode Wilmington - before. 

All of us who have heard about this school have recognized the potential it has for improving lives and helping companies based in the region.

Now, thanks to a new series on WHYY Radio, we're hearing about how much of a difference this school is making.

Here's an excerpt:

There are about 70 coding boot camps in North America, according to the industry group Course Report. All operate on the same basic premise — that smart, motivated people can become employable developers with a little bit of intense training.

Zip Code Wilmington stands out, though, in a couple ways. First, it’s a nonprofit boot camp, one of just a small handful. Two, it’s one of the very few that teaches Java — a computer language more commonly used in existing businesses, not start-ups. And three, it’s in Wilmington, a city with a lot of big, old financial institutions that rely on languages like Java.

About 60 percent of coding boot camps are in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, or Seattle. The usual suspects. So when something like this pops up in a place like Wilmington, it comes with equal doses of symbolic heft and civic aspiration.

​I highly recommend clicking here to listen to the first report in the series about ZipCode Wilmington.

Downtown Wilmington is about improving business possibilities and improving lives.

Marty

Two Downtown Wilmington Businesses Featured in Article

The Cecil Whig just published a great story about two of our Downtown Wilmington businesses. Here's a couple of excerpts:

On Nov. 18, Tynisha Lomax celebrated her first anniversary as proprietor of Levitea, located at 228 W. Ninth St.

...

Visitors include those from London, Singapore, Canada and Australia. The teas are also served in The Green Room at Hotel du Pont.

“Tea brings internationals together,” she said

...

Two blocks away, Ninth Street Book Shop stands as a beacon at 730 N. Market St. Named for its original location, it now sits at the corner of Eighth Street.

...

Today, at the larger location, they house 20,000 books which include a selection of black fiction, nonfiction and author books; regional titles; and an extensive children’s section.

The steady flow of customers are welcomed with smiles and kind words. Most are called by name. “Some of my daughter’s first books came from here,” one customer shared.

Gemma added, “We have third-generation customers.”

Click Here to read the complete article

I am proud of the great job being done by all of our entrepreneurs and businesses in Downtown Wilmington, and it's great to see recognition coming from far and wide for our community.

Marty