Downtown Visions Awarded Bardea a Main Street Wilmington Façade Improvement Grant for their Interior Fit-Out

A historic gem dating back to 1905, as the image below shows, 618 Market Street was a crowning jewel of Market Street. Most recently, The Buccini/Pollin Group and BPGS Construction restored the building from distress back to its former glory.

Restaurateur, Scott Stein and Chef Antimo DiMeo were interested in creating a one-of-a-kind dining experience within the building and Downtown Visions Main Street Program was thrilled to help. With support from Comenity Bank, Downtown Visions was able to provide $12,500 towards flooring, paint, ceiling tile and lighting for the recently opened yet already a neighborhood favorite, Bardea.

The restaurant features interpretive Italian cuisine utilizing ingredients from local Delaware Valley farms and purveyors, and features a number of composed dishes with both Italian and American origins. Bardea, pronounced bar-DAY-ah, is the Italian term for "the goddess of food and drink."

Curious on how Downtown Visions can help your entrepreneurial venture or new restaurant idea? Learn more about the Business Improvement District and Facade Improvement Program.

To become a sponsor of Downtown Visions Main Street Program and support entrepreneurial ventures and new businesses along the Market Street corridor, click here.

Special thanks to comenity for their generous support with this project.

Wilmington Launches “It’s Time” Campaign Promoting the City and the Pride of Its People

Follow the campaign websites www.Wilmington.Love; www.WilmToday.com; YouTube Channels ‘Wilmington Love’ and ‘The Wilmington Show;’ and social media platforms Facebook/Twitter/Instagram @ItsTimeWilmDE

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki unveiled a comprehensive communications and promotional campaign—“It’s Time”—to highlight the people of Wilmington and the City as a whole. The new image and pride campaign will tell the stories of Wilmington and its people through narratives and videos utilizing multiple platforms for audiences within the City, as well as regionally, nationally and throughout the world. The announcement was made this evening at a Wilmington Love community celebration in Rodney Square where the Mayor was joined by Governor John Carney and City Council President Hanifa Shabazz.

Governor Carney, a proud City resident who spoke at the Wilm Love celebration, said he’s excited for Wilmington. “Wilmington has been my home for the past three decades, and you can feel the momentum and progress in communities throughout our City,” said Governor John Carney. “It’s true that as goes Wilmington, so goes our state. Wilmington is Delaware’s economic capital, and we all have a stake in its success. I’m pleased to be joining all of our public and private sector partners in helping to tell the story of our City.”

The new communications and promotional campaign establishes a set of shared resources to help neighborhoods and community organizations tell their Wilmington story. These resources include:

• Polling and research to continually solicit local feedback, attitudes and opinions

• Digital tools that include new web-based, social media and YouTube channels

• Public relations to help promote local efforts through regional and national media

Mayor Purzycki said the new campaign does not replace current community-driven efforts such as www.InWilmDE.com, known as the “in” campaign, or any other current promotional effort. Instead, he said, the new campaign will compliment or leverage efforts to promote the City.

The Mayor said the campaign is a megaphone to help tell the powerful stories of Wilmington’s people. To be successful, he said, the campaign needs all citizens to be participants. “We want to hear from all Wilmingtonians,” said the Mayor. “If you know about someone or something awesome in Wilmington, please tell us at http://stories.wilm.love. If you have photos or videos that you think should be a part of our community campaign, submit them to http://media.wilm.love.”

Citizens can participate and support the campaign through www.wilmington.love, www.WilmToday.com, www.InWilmDE.com and through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ItsTimeWilmDE. Mayor Purzycki said by sharing the campaign with others, Wilmington residents can help change the narrative about their City.

Mayor Purzycki today expressed his appreciation for the private sector support for the campaign, which totals more than a half-million dollars to enable Wilmington to tell a more complete story about itself and its citizens in a consistent and continual fashion. The campaign’s private sector partners include Barclays, Capital One, CSC, Epic Research, Incyte, JP Morgan Chase, Chemours and WSFS. In addition, the State has contributed $250,000 and the Mayor has pledged a $70,000 contribution from the City.

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. 

Did you know? Downtown Wilmington Offers Free Safety Ambassador Services!

Whether you need directions on where to go, are curious about the local history of the beautiful buildings that surround you on Market Street or would like someone to walk you to your vehicle late at night, the Downtown Visions Safety Ambassadors are here to serve you. 

Did you know the friendly folks in the bright yellow along the Market Street corridor receive over 80 hours of training on topics such as crime prevention, customer service, local history and local attractions? These individuals serve the community daily at no cost to the public and have increased their service hours recently to Monday through Thursday starting at 6 AM until 11:45 PM and weekend hours are 9 AM thru 1:45 AM. 

Simply call (302) 425-4200 x1 to request a free Safety Escort anywhere within the neighborhood.

Interested in joining the team and serving the local community? Click here for current career opportunities.