Sterling Main Street will build business incubator in downtown

STERLING – A business incubator consisting of six small, free-standing storefronts will be built in the downtown, with the goal of helping online, in-home or even brand-new startups eventually migrate to their own brick-and-mortar stores.

The Sterling Main Street project, to be called The Shoppes at Grandon Plaza, will be built in the empty lot at 310 Second Ave. The lot was donated by Sterling Today Inc., which is north of Grandon Civic Center and west of True Smiles.

The City Council agreed to provide $50,000 in seed money for the initial materials needed, which is coming from its pool of $1,991,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Main Street is looking for investors to provide the rest of the estimated $200,000 needed, Executive Director Janna Groharing said.

The 12-by-16-foot “chalets,” designed by the Sterling firm McCloud & Associates Architecture, will be built by Whiteside Area Career Center students enrolled in the buildings trades classes. Depending on what is needed to get the job done, students in welding classes could also be used.

It will start with six structures; there is room for 10 buildings if the need arises.

Construction will begin this summer and the incubator will open for business in spring 2023, Groharing said.

Business owners who are accepted into the program will lease the space for 8 months for $300 a month, utilities included. The lease ends after the December holiday season.

Any advice, training or mentoring the owners need will be provided by the Small Business Development Center at Sauk Valley Community College, and by Main Street, Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and other community partners.

“We’ll be checking in with them often,” Groharing said. “We want to set them up for success.”

By December, the hope is that owners will decide “whether they want to take the leap into brick and mortar” and open their own retail shops, preferably, but not necessarily in Sterling, or decide that it’s not for them, after all, and move on, she said.

Then the cycle will begin again.

Having several new retail businesses operating in the downtown will bring more foot traffic to that area, hopefully connecting the northeast end of the downtown to all the shops and activities that are more centrally located, she said.

The city’s revitalization of Central Park at the Civic Center, where it is adding a small splash pad, sidewalks and benches, also is expected to bring more potential shoppers to the area.

“The incubator will bring some retail over there, to create a greater connection between Central Park and the downtown,” Groharing said.

Shops will be required to be open certain hours, including during the Sterling Municipal Band’s Wednesday evening concerts at Grandon.

Applications for the first round of incubator occupants will be available from Main Street starting Oct. 1 and will be due by Dec. 31.

Applications will be reviewed by an independent jury in early 2023 and vendors will be notified of their acceptance in February. They will be able to personalize their spaces in April, then will open in May.

Those interested in applying are urged to begin developing their business plans and utilizing the free resources available through Sauk’s Small Business Development Center.

The focus of The Shoppes at Grandon Plaza is solely on retail outlets; those interested in starting business involving food or beverages are advised to contact the Kitchen Incubator of Northwest Illinois, which is at 1741 Industrial Drive in Sterling.

To learn more

Main Street is a nonprofit agency, the purpose of which is to develop and promote the downtown.

Go to https://www.sterlingmainstreet.org/shoppes-at-grandon-plaza/ or contact Groharing at 815-626-8610 or janna@sterlingmainstreet.org for more information on investing or applying for space in The Shoppes at Grandon Plaza.