Woodstock ends business incubator program in Old Courthouse

Woodstock‘s retail business incubator program will no longer be inside the Old Courthouse. But the city isn’t pulling the plug on the program entirely, either.

Two businesses were part of the first run of the incubator: Seleta Scents and The Records Department. Both have since graduated, with Seleta Scents' candle bar moving to Arlington Heights, and the record shop relocating to a larger space in downtown Woodstock.

Other enterprises have left the building since its fall 2023 reopening. Algonquin-based DIY craft store Makity Make closed its Woodstock store last spring. That space is now a community room, and part of it will be the new home of Naturally McHenry County, which promotes tourism and destinations in the county.

Public House restaurant in the Old Courthouse suddenly closed last year, and Squire on the Square opened in its place last fall.

Jessica Erickson, the city’s director of economic development, said the business incubator won’t be in the Old Courthouse moving forward, but that the city is “assessing future options.”

TurnKey Digital, a marketing firm with its main office located on Benton Street across the Square from the Old Courthouse, is opening a photography studio inside the former Seleta Scents space.

The City Council voted this month to approve the lease for the studio as part of the consent agenda. According to a memo from Erickson, TurnKey had indicated that if it wasn’t for the new lease and space, “they may need to relocate their entire operation to accommodate their expansion needs, potentially outside of Woodstock. This lease agreement ensures the retention and growth of a valued business while demonstrating Woodstock’s commitment to supporting business development.”

The lease with the city of Woodstock, which owns the Old Courthouse and oversaw extensive renovations of the structure, starts March 1. It’s a one-year agreement with three additional one-year renewal options. The rent is $500 per month with a 3.5% increase each year, according to city documents.

TurnKey owner Robert McClurg said the company was looking for a dedicated space to take photos of products for clients, and the former Seleta Scents space will be used for that. McClurg said the company loves the city and the downtown feel and the brick walls. The business has been Woodstock-based since 2003.

“We want to stay on the Square,” McClurg said.