SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) -- The last year has been an emotional and financial rollercoaster for small business owners, but one southern Indiana town has seen an economic boost.
Last month, Seymour Main Street received a grant of $200,000 to help downtown businesses. It’s the fourth year Seymour Main Street has received the money.
Montica Chambers’ dream of opening a coffee shop almost didn’t happen.
“The pandemic hit. I won't lie, I paused for a while and re-evaluated the situation,” Chambers, who plans to open the shop this summer, said.
Since the grant program began, small businesses have tried to get a piece of the financial pay and it’s paying off.
In 2020, 14 new businesses came to the downtown Seymour area. Seventeen new small businesses have already applied for part of the 2021 grant.
One of the new businesses is Reed’s place, a small mom-and-pop restaurant on Main Street that opened in December.
“We're hanging in there and I know a lot of the other small places are," owner Josh Reed said. "We just took a chance and it's paid off so far."
Main Street Executive Director Bri Roll believes the community support for small businesses allowed for many to do even better than before the pandemic with locals and tourists trying to help out how they can.
Roll believes, along with the new businesses, there will be a return of outside events and festivals showcasing what Seymour has to offer and continue to support each other.
“We've seen tons of downtown small businesses collaborate and come together and really support each other to be successful and you can't buy that,” Roll said.
So far, 11 new businesses are set to open downtown in 2021, including more restaurants, retail, a Mexican ice cream shop, and others. Chambers is proud she is one of them.
“I actually have a lot of hope because I think people are going to be really excited about the idea of being together and getting out and hanging out with people, even more so than before,” she said.
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