Ways to #ShopSmall This Holiday Season in Downtown Wilmington DE

We rely on our local businesses to create thriving neighborhoods for our residents and visitors every day. We need to help our small businesses get through this time of crisis. Support these small businesses, and their staff, by shopping local not just this holiday season, but every day.

Ways to #ShopSmall in Downtown Wilmington DE:

• Dine Downtown Deal - Support Downtown Wilmington DE eateries and you’ll get rewarded! Dine-in or take out 5x between 10/1/20 and 12/31/20, text your receipts to 302-502-6003, and you’ll receive a gift card in the amount of 20% of the total meals purchased (before tip) to the business of your choice in the Wilmington Downtown Business Improvement District (BID)!

• Free Holiday Shipping - Several Downtown Wilmington DE businesses are offering FREE shipping for all online purchases made through the end of the year. Simply shop online between 11/1/20 and 12/31/20 at participating businesses, and they’ll ship your purchases anywhere within the United States for free!

• I Made an Impact Contest - Enter to win awesome local prizes through Wilmington Made’s I Mad an Impact Contest! Simply text your receipt to 302-433-6078 from any participating business or restaurant dated between 11/28/20 and 12/24/20 for your chance to win!

• You can also support your favorite small businesses by purchasing a gift card, buying the staff a round, making a donation, following them on social media, spreading the word about their offers, and posting a positive review.

It is even easier to visit Downtown Wilmington this month and shop small with the City’s free holiday metered parking program and free Market Street valet both in effect through January 2nd, 2021.

Every small purchase makes a big difference - now more than ever!

Where to Park in Downtown Wilmington DE

If you’ve ever questioned where to park in Downtown Wilmington DE, look no further! There are plenty of parking options to accommodate residents and visitors, and with added Curbside valet options taking a trip Downtown has never been easier!

This public parking map is complete with maximum daily rates*, garage, and open lot locations as well as information on metered parking so your next trip into Wilmington, DE is easy breezy. Special thanks to Colonial Parking, Wilmington Parking Authority, SP+, Downtown Visions, and The City of Wilmington, DE for compiling this information.

The Wilmington Parking Authority lot at 8th & Orange Streets is free and open to the public if you enter after 6 pm during the week and all day on the weekends. Del-Tech is also providing free parking to support Lower Market Street in Lot 4 on the Southwest Corner of 2nd & Shipley Streets through June 30, 2021. Please be advised that overnight parking in the Del-Tech lot is not permitted.

Additionally, you can take advantage of FREE valet parking during Curbside Wilmington on Friday and Saturday nights through March 2021. The valet station will be centrally located at the corner of 7th & Market Streets.

To accommodate for Curbside Wilmington, a number of metered parking spots on Market Street have been converted for outdoor dining. However, downtown residents can temporarily park-off street for free thanks to the generosity of Jed Hatfield, President of Colonial Parking, Inc. Residents should contact Colonial Parking at 302-651-3600 for more information about parking availabilities. SP+ garages are also offering discounts for monthly parkers if you contact Andrew Lane at alane@spplus.com or 484.995.6297.

The City of Wilmington’s holiday season parking meter policy will be in effect from Friday, November 27 through Saturday, January 2, 2021. To support holiday shopping during this period, from Noon to 6:00 p.m. each weekday, the City will not require payment at parking meters in the Downtown Business District (defined as the area bounded by 2nd Street to 12th Street, and by French Street to Washington Street) and in the Riverfront Business District. Official holidays such as Christmas Day (December 25) remain free all day. A two-hour parking limit will remain in effect, however. For more details and restrictions, click here.

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*Rates are subject to change without notice.

Free Resources for Small Businesses

Downtown Visions mission is to create, manage, and promote a quality environment for business development within our neighborhood by providing small business assistance through various initiatives. We strive to inform our community of the free resources available to them by a number of local and national agencies. If you have any questions on starting, or growing, your businesses in Downtown Wilmington DE, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Delaware Division of Small Business

The Delaware Division of Small Business, part of the Delaware Department of State, is a service-focused agency committed to supporting businesses starting and growing in Delaware. Small businesses can reach out to the Division for assistance in connecting to the resources and advice to succeed. The Division is a champion for Delaware small businesses and is here to help take companies to the next level.

• Features an online portal to find and connect to organizations in Delaware who assist small businesses. Click here to visit portal.

The Division of Small Business also EDGE grants to eligible businesses to encourage development, growth, and expansion. The EDGE Grant program gives qualified small businesses in Delaware an edge by offering access to significant capital like never before. The business must have been in operation less than 5 years. This will give them access to capital up to $50,000 for the Entrepreneur Class and $100,000 for Stem based companies!

• The deadline is Friday, February 28, 2020.

• For more information, click here.

New Castle County Chamber of Commerce

NCCCC hosts “Open For Business” sessions on the fourth Thursday of each month from 9:30 am - 11:30 am for small business owners to meet with representatives from their partner organizations. Collectively, these organizations provide a range of services that help start-ups advance their business model, reach potential customers, land government contracts, secure loans, meet state regulatory requirements and generally mentor entrepreneurs striking out on their own for the first time.

• Next event is Tuesday, February 25, 2020 located at 920 Justison Street, Wilmington, DE.

• The event is free, registration is suggested. To register, click here.

Downtown Merchant Meetings

Downtown Visions also hosts Downtown Merchant Meetings one Tuesday a month for business owners within the Central Business District share ideas and connect with each other.

• The next Merchant Meeting is at 9:30 am on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at Stitch House Brewery.

America Express Future of Shopping Small Grant Program

American Express® is teaming up with Main Street America to give 10 small business owners $10,000 each to help their businesses innovate in this evolving retail landscape. The American Express Future of Shopping Small Grant Program will celebrate small businesses across the country that are a vital part of their community. The program is intended to support small businesses that have demonstrated new approaches to traditional business strategies and those businesses looking to try out creative techniques, while also helping to revitalize and strengthen older and historic commercial districts.

• The deadline is Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

• For more information, click here.

• To see if your businesses is location within one of Delaware’s Downtown Development Districts (DDD), click here.

Best of 2019: Downtown Visions Year in Review!

Image Credit: Andrew Kucienski

As we kick off 2020 and begin a new decade, let’s take a look back at the best year yet for Downtown Visions and Main Street Wilmington. 2019 was filled with growth for Downtown Wilmington, and we are thrilled to have aided in the progress.

Downtown Visions mission is to create, manage, and promote a quality environment for people who live, work, and visit Downtown Wilmington. We do this through a variety of initiatives, including our Main Street Wilmington program. As a Main Street community, Downtown Visions not only preserves historic buildings, but also focuses on small business recruitment, marketing, and promotion.

This past year we achieved our mission through a number of efforts supporting our small businesses. We held monthly Merchant Meetings for Downtown business owners to share ideas and connect with each other. We provided event support for city-wide festivals, like the Ladybug Festival and Downtown Brew Fest, and ongoing marketing support through our social media channels and blog.

Through our Facade Improvement Program, Cavanaugh’s received a grant from Downtown Visions, Comenity Bank and Bank of America to complete a major renovation process that restored their historic building to its former glory in honor of their 30th anniversary on Market Street. We also awarded a grant to LRS Capital Partners for restoring a longtime vacant property on 8th Street.

We also launched two new marketing campaigns to drive traffic during historically slow weeks. Made on Market and Market Made: 12 Days of Christmas were completely free for businesses to participate in simply providing an exclusive offer valid during the week of the campaign. In partnership with New Market Wilm, we handled the creation and promotion of graphics, posters, advertisements, and social media posts during the campaigns.

In March, we attended the National Main Street Conference in Seattle and was an American Express presenter for Small Business Saturday. During the conference, we were awarded a $500 grant towards our Small Business Saturday campaign in Downtown Wilmington.

In December, we hosted the very first Pop-Up Holiday Village and launched our holiday lights display in Willingtown Square. The Pop-Up Village took place after the Wilmington Christmas parade and drew over 600 visitors to the pop-up alone. Vendors saw a boost in sales and expressed positive feedback from the event.

“I thought the event went really well. It was well organized, and it gave us an opportunity to be exposed to new customers,” said Delaware Originals. “I really appreciated the tent being provided as this was a big plus!”

Last, but certainly not least, Downtown Visions celebrated the opening of 20 new businesses within the Central Business District in 2019. These businesses include: Dunkin, BoostMobile, DECO Food Hall, IM Coffee, Wildwich, Girard Craft & Cork, WHYY, Makers Alley, Torbet Social, Faire Market & Cafe, King Creative, Studio Nurture, Drip Café, Three Kings Kustoms, Blitzen, The Chicken Spot, El Diablo, Green Box Kitchen, Jet Phynx, Wilmington Land Bank Conservancy, and ArchCraft.

Downtown Visions works to show the world what an amazing place Downtown Wilmington, Delaware is every day, and we could not do so without help from our incredible community. Please consider donating to Downtown Visions and support our efforts to preserve, progress, and promote Downtown Wilmington all year long!

DTV Safety Ambassadors Announce Extended Hours in 2020!

Downtown Visions Safety Ambassadors now keep our neighborhood safe 7 days a week from 6AM to 2AM!

Our uniformed ambassadors assist the Wilmington Police Department in keeping Downtown Wilmington safe for all residents and visitors. Each Safety Ambassador receives over 80 hours of in-house training in addition to field training on topics such as crime prevention, customer service, local history and local attractions. Each Ambassador wears a distinctive black and yellow uniform and carries a two-way radio. You can find our Safety Ambassadors patrolling the Central Business District on foot and bikes. 

Feel free to approach our Safety Ambassadors and request information about downtown. They can give you directions, information on restaurants, hotels and local shops — just ask! You can also request a free safety escort by calling (302) 425-4200 x1 to request a free Safety Escort anywhere within the neighborhood during operating hours!

For more information on how to become a Safety Ambassador, contact us.