Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Special to the Advance

Main Street Alabama, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Main Street Atmore, will host an open house to celebrate its recent installment of the Small Boxcar Shop, a retail incubator made possible through a USDA Rural Development Grant.

The open house is slated for this Fri., Oct. 25, at 207 W. Ridgeley St.

The newest fixture in the community is set inside Boxcar Park, a public space and outdoor stage where popular events take place, including a recent performance by Will Moseley of American Idol fame. The Small Boxcar Shop will be managed by Main Street Atmore and is a turn-key space for local entrepreneurs launching a small business with long-term goals of securing a downtown storefront.

Main Street Alabama President and State Coordinator Mary Helmer Wirth said the group is proud to continue the innovative program in Atmore.

“We are proud to continue this innovative program in Atmore, allowing its Main Street organization to offer entrepreneurs an opportunity to test products and secure a spot in the local market before moving into a storefront,” Helmer Wirth said in a release. “Our program strives to keep investment here in Alabama, and we know the design of the unit will add to the downtown landscape and contribute to the district’s vibrancy.”

Shinora Redmond, Main Street Atmore’s executive director, said the initiatives of the retail incubator fall in line with the entity’s existing entrepreneurial program.

“We hope to continue building a thriving entrepreneurial community where business owners can focus on working on their business, not just in their business,” Redmond said. “We actually have businesses which started as vendor businesses inside other stores downtown and have found success in their own storefronts. The Small Boxcar Shop is the perfect way to expand our small business ecosystem, continue fostering an entrepreneur-friendly environment, and add to the allure of our downtown experience.”

Following the open house, Main Street Atmore will begin its application process for interested businesses. This will include an abbreviated lease model, as well as pop-up shops, if the space is available, with the long-term goal of empowering occupants to open a storefront in the district.