Looking at the Past... and Future
“To say that 2020 has been a challenging year for Downtown Partners, Inc. would be a significant understatement. Like the other members of the Greater Burlington Partnership - and the rest of the world - DPI felt the debilitating impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Our stakeholders - business and property owners in Burlington’s downtown district - were faced with shutdowns, economic downturns and the need to hustle to reimagine the ways they could serve their customer base. And hustle they did. We could not be prouder of the way downtown Burlington has fought to survive these last months. We saw retailers find new ways to get their products in the hands of their customers - delivery, curbside pick-up and online sales. We saw restaurants show how nimble, resourceful and creative they could be in redesigning menus and offering new contact-free services to make their customers feel safe. The entrepreneurial spirit of our downtown community was inspiring. Although we don’t know what the future holds, and certainly it won’t be easy, we are confident that our downtown can weather the remainder of this storm - with the continued support of the Burlington community." Julie Lehman, 2020 DPI Board Chair
It was a year of challenges, but we continue to see the entrepreneurial spirit shine, downtown's momentum is unstoppable. At the beginning of a new year, it's fitting to look back on what has been accomplished. In 2020:
- Downtown Partners hosted a video series, "I am Downtown Burlington", that showcased how the business became to be, products and services.
- DPI partnered with Main Street Iowa to present Small Business Virtual Labs for Main Street Iowa program. This program helped with technical support for online presence, coaching and peer-to-peer roundtables for the small business owners.
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Blaul Lofts opened! Redevelopment continues at the corner of Valley and 5th Street. 39 new loft apartments as well as 6 new first floor commercial spaces. Two additional apartment complexes will be under construction downtown in 2021.
- Downtown hosted a successful Jefferson Street Farmers Market. Although, a little different than in years past, the Farmers Market made it convenient to get produce, sweets and the one-of-a-kind, unique products.
- Small business owners were able to take part in the IASBDC Mobile Lab and learn from the experts about e-commerce and business operations. The also had the opportunity to join shopiowa.com to sell and create awareness of their products.
- Downtown saw the completion of 300 Washington, the old Typewriter building, with RFP sent out for redevelopment.
- Through Downtown Partners, De Luxe Aesthetics was awarded the Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant for the rehab of 506 Jefferson. The rehab will include façade restoration and upper story renovations.
- With events looking a little different in the face of a pandemic, Downtown Partners was still able to present 33 event days.
2020 gave insight to the passion the community has for downtown. This flourish of activity, in the face of a pandemic, indicates the ongoing success of the Main Street approach to downtown revitalization. Considering everything that has been accomplished in an unprecedented year, Downtown Burlington has plenty of reason to toot its New Year's horn a little louder in 2021!