Wilmington’s new-and-improved downtown Market Street has been a long time in the making.
Downtown Visions Business Development Director Will Minster says it can be easy to forget how far Market Street - and downtown Wilmington in general - have come in recent years.
“A lot of the historic buildings were kind of deteriorating to some degree," Minster said.
Since 2011, he says they’ve worked to restore – and bring small businesses – to 47 storefronts.
It’s been part of the Main Street Wilmington program, through the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“The whole idea was to bring buildings kind of up to code so they’re ‘vanilla box ready’ for small businesses," Minster said.
Since 2010, 134 new businesses have sprouted up in the downtown area.
Minster said Downtown Visions has helped entice many of those businesses – places like Jerry’s Artarama that could serve the area’s growing professional artist community, as well as Delaware College of Art and Design students.
Minster is optimistic that the number of small businesses in downtown Wilmington will continue to grow under the leadership of Mayor elect Mike Purzycki.
“He knows the value of the next project," he said. "The one that’s going to complement the existing ones.”
Minster points to Purzycki’s vision heading the Riverfront Development Corporation as an example of his understanding of economic development.
He adds that now a housing base for downtown Wilmington has been established, it’s time to attract new business sectors.
Ideas about which business sectors are needed are welcome – and anyone with suggestions should contact Downtown Visions.
