newsletter | spring 2023
Some photos courtesy of the CC Tourism Photo Contest
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT
DESIGN
OUTREACH
PROMOTION
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Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Spring Newsletter
MAIN STREET CHARLES CITY BOARD
be part of the Main Street Charles City movement or reach out to any of our Board Members! Board members include Board Chair Matt Bradley, Vice Chair Jessie Schultz, Pat Ohlerking, Shelley Zweibohmer, Ryan Venz, Phil Hammermeister, Amber Bergeson, Krista Noah, Nikki Knowlton, and Evonne Neupert. You can also call or visit the Main Street City office at 641-228-2335 to inquire about Board and Committee meetings, program details or to find out more about what Main Street Charles City has to offer.
We want to have a pedestrian-friendly downtown, offering a vibrant mix of locally owned businesses with an active yet relaxing riverfront. Working together, we are striving to make Charles City an outstanding place to live, work and play. Main Street Charles City has a long list of achievements since its inception over 25+ years ago, and continues to add to that list with strong community support. It is vital to the program’s future that we welcome more volunteers and invite more financial support from not only the businesses in the Main Street district, but the community and residents that benefit by having a vibrant and strong Main Street district. Are you looking for a way to have a positive impact on the future of Charles City and the Main Street Charles City program? It’s easy to get involved and be part of the future. Visit the link below to let us know that you would like to
Matt Bradley Board Chair
Main Street Charles City recently unveiled a new name and logo to improve the public’s comprehension of what Main Street Charles City does and represents. As part of that, an update has been made to our mission. The mission of Main Street Charles City is to be an organization supported by local investors and volunteers who strive to enhance the downtown district to make it the place to be. The vision for Main Street Charles City Charles City is to continually strive to be a diverse and progressive community that blends new development with preservation of historic structures.
Sign up to Volunteer https://tinyurl.com/22zwpswz
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Spring Newsletter
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE
We are all Main Street Charles City stakeholders if we are shoppers of, residents in, business owners of, employed in, property owners of, window shoppers in or movie goers in the Main Street Charles City district. Our Main Street has a direct impact on and is vital to the entire city and county. If you are looking to be a positive influence, are a forward thinker and cultivator of community, here is a place where you can make a difference. I feel Main Street Charles City is a place to foster excitement, partnerships and opportunity! If you have a passion for improving our district consider joining our Committee, or one of the other three Main Street Charles City Committees. It’s a great way to be part of something you can be proud of! Committee members include Jim Davis, Linda Tjaden, Dean Stewart, Tom Bock, Mike Scofield, Makaila Sloter, Evonne Neupert, Dean Andrews and me, Chair, Tami Vetter. You can also call or visit the Main Street Charles City office at 641-228- 2335 to inquire about options available through Main Street Charles City incentive programs.
owners and residents) as well as shoppers, visitors and others in the region was taken to determine their needs and perspective specific to the Main Street district. From that survey, strategies have been created for the Main Street Charles City board and Committees to continue to improve, grow and maintain our Main Street.
Tami Vetter Committee Chair
The Business Improvement Committee’s goal is to be a positive part of the retention, expansion, recruitment and development of the core of our city; the Main Street Charles City district. Creating a place where businesses can thrive, new businesses want to come and where all businesses support and educate each other through their past experiences, new learnings and joint efforts. I have a great passion for this organization and what it stands for, and I feel it’s a place to foster excitement, partnerships and opportunity. During the past year, as part of the larger goal of the organization, the Business Improvement Committee worked with the Iowa Department of Economic Development to conduct a Market Study and a Strategies Report. A survey of district stakeholders (businesses, property
Scan to see the report & strategy https://tinyurl.com/yjbeudew
The Business Improvement Committee is now working on a series of programs to offer informative and inspiring speakers to help stakeholders and other interested parties explore the importance of maintaining & strengthening our Main Street Charles City district through growth and development. The Committee is also working on toolkits and resources for those that may be looking to start a new business, grow or strengthen a current business, or begin succession planning as they move onto new endeavors.
ESRI Tapestry Segments were identified. These combine the “who” of lifestyle demography with the “where” of local geography to create distinct market segmentation
We want you to know: Through the Main Street Charles City Program (MSCC), the Business Improvement Committee facilitated a Market Survey. MSCC engaged community members, business people, and other stakeholders through a Consumer Survey, Business Survey, and public meeting to discuss the findings and what could be done in the way of business retention and recruitment. The report contains valuable information and is available for you to use.
MARKET DATA
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of consumer survey participants made at least one online purchase or left Charles City to make a purchase. Find out - what did they buy?!
CONSUMER SURVEY DATA
89%
BUSINESS SURVEY DATA
of business survey participants say they transact sales through a website in addition to their brick and mortar.
35%
RETAIL GAPS & POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES
of those surveyed would visit downtown Charles City more often if there was a steakhouse. Find out what else they want!
51%
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Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Spring Newsletter
DESIGN COMMITTEE
Bridge railings and light poles and took the steps necessary to bring the issue to the City and with their partnership completed the project, again showing the importance of an active group working toward preservation and improvement. Currently the Design Committee is involved in replacing the seasonal street banners in the Main Street Charles City district by partnering with another local organization. We are continuing develop and propose a set of design guidelines/ standards for the Main Street Charles City district to present to the City for implementation. The Design Committee will also continue beautification efforts with various seasonal decorative opportunities; picturesque floral & greenery planters placed in front of businesses and parking lot planter and lot clean-up projects. In addition, the Design Committee reviews Facade Improvement
Steve Schiller Committee Chair
Grant applications for the City and makes recommendations to the City Council. Our Committee’s activities touch many areas that can be seen by all who work, live, play or shop in the Main Street Charles City district. If you are passionate or interested on one of more of our beautification, historic preservation or image efforts, we invite you to become involved with the Design Committee! Our Committee members include Elaine Shelton-Bruton, Mike Bauer, Shelley Zweibohmer, Laura Wallace, Lahari Muppalla, Christopher Anthony, Nancy Clarke and me, Steve Schiller Committee Chair. Visit the Main Street Charles City FaceBook page, website, or call at 641-228-2335 for more info.
I am involved with the Design Committee, along with the entire of Main Street Charles City program, to help with the downtown beautification efforts and to keep our community looking good by identifying issues, forming solutions and working with the City, stakeholders and the community to maintain and improve our Main Street Charles City district. The Design Committee’s work recently included addressing the need for new bicycle racks in the Main Street Charles City district, and raising funds to install three new racks ahead of this past summer’s RAGRRAI. The Committee also saw the need to paint the Main Street
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Spring Newsletter
OUTREACH COMMITTEE
on June 9th and run through the summer. More information on this will be available on the Main Street Charles City Facebook page, so please check there for updates! As you all know, it takes many hands to make light work. We would love to have you participate in the Main Street Charles City organization in any way you can. It is always wonderful to have new ideas to make sure we are keeping everything fresh. Committee members Dean Andrews, Veronica Litterer, Tami Vetter, Larry Pump, Toni Noah and I, Ryan Venz Committee Chair, invite you to join in! The Main Street Charles City office is located at 401 N Main Street, stop in or call 641-228- 2335 with questions or input.
looking for volunteers to help staff events or special Committee at any given point in time. One of the most important accomplishments the Outreach Committee has completed in the last six months is our annual investment campaign and the beginning of our current campaign utilizing the features of the new website. Our goal is to see an increase in our participation by attracting new investors while maintaining the valuable investors we currently have in place. In addition, we’re excited to be working on a new fundraiser with the assistance of Schiller Fine Art, Photography and Framing! This non-event fundraiser will be introduced at the first Party in the Park
Ryan Venz Committee Chair
The Outreach Committee is a wonderful Committee to be a part of for the simple fact we are able to interact on several different levels with the Main Street District and community. We are given the opportunity to contact investors (businesses/individuals/families) to share with them the importance of what their financial investment does to support all the programs Main Street Charles City offers. Along with this, we are always
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Spring Newsletter
PROMOTION COMMITTEE
Many Charles City businesses in and out of the Main Street district participated by setting up booths, wearing costumes
to be an event sponsor, volunteer on a Committee or to help at a one-time event? Or do you even have some new ideas to promote what Charles City has to offer? Visit the link below or scan the code to let us know! We are looking forward to continuing to promote all of Main Street Charles City’s efforts to keep Charles City an exciting place to be! We invite you to join us on the Promotion Committee or one of our event sub Committees! Promotion Committee members include: Arcon Concepcion, Lora Mills, Jessie Schultz, Matt Bradley, Mike Bauer, Nikki Knowlton, Pat Ohlerking, Phil Hammermeister, Amber Bergeson and Krista Noah. You can also call or visit the Main Street office at 641-228-2335 for more information.
and handing out treats to many children as the community celebrated the theme of the event. We hope that this event will continue to grow year after year! We are looking forward to kicking off the 2023 Party in Park summer series on June 9. Other dates for the series this year are June 30, July 14 and Aug 4. The Committee is actively booking sponsors, bands and other activities for the summer. Make sure to check the Main Street Charles City Face book page and website for up-to-date information. We are fortunate to live in a city where there are so many public events - many of which are supported by Main Street Charles City. Community support is vital to keeping these events going. Please consider how you are able to support Main Street Charles City - do you have time, treasure or talent that you can share? Do you wonder what it takes
Krista Noah Party in the Park Sub Committee Chair
The Promotion Committee’s purpose is to promote the value of Main Street Charles City’s vitality and importance to the community. Some of this is done through events such as Party in the Park, Spookwalk, and Letters to Santa. The Promotion Committee is proud to sponsor the Main Street Charles City Facebook page where more information about Main Street Charles City district can be easily shared, bringing attention to the entire program. The Promotion Committee is proud to the long running annual Charles City Spookwalk. In 2022 it was held on the Riverfront Trail along the Cedar River and was a huge success with its theme, “A Very Vintage Halloween”.
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Spring Newsletter
MAIN STREET CHARLES CITY STAFF
Joanna Thompson Events Coordinator Events@CharlesCityChamber.com
Mark Wicks Director Mark@CharlesCityChamber.com
401 N Main Street Charles City IA 50616 641-228-2335
INVESTORS THAT MAKE MAIN STREET CHARLES CITY POSSIBLE
Doug & Jean Ann Kamm Kamm Excavating Karen Paget Kronlage & Olson, PC Larry Pump, CPA Phyllis Meyer Ron & Toni Noah North Iowa Touring Club D. Patrick & Cindy Ohlerking Optometric Center Prichard Law Office Prologue Books & Wine Clair & Cathy Rottinghaus Schiller Fine Art, Photography & Framing Mrs. Lyle Schlader
Dean & Marcie Andrews Douglas & Conie Bengtson
Paul & Anna Burnham Cambrex Charles City Central Park Dentistry Charles City Aeronautics, Inc. Charles City Dental Associates, Inc. Charles City Press Charles Theatre City of Charles City Comprehensive Systems CUSB Bank Darbe & Company Boutique James & Laurie Davis Dennis Donovan, PG Diversified Fastening Systems Edward Jones - Sindlinger Express Lubes First Citizens Bank First Security Bank & Trust Floyd County Floyd County Medical Center Floyd County Mutual Insurance Dennis & Susan Grant Mr. & Mrs. Dick Herbrechtsmeyer
Shankland Insurance Skyline Materials, LTD Special Medical Services State Farm Insurance Stewart Realty Company The Insurance Office The Rustic Corner T-J Service Linda Tjaden Unique Country Store Ryan & Shannon Venz Veronica Litterer Zoetis
Hot Shots Billiards Jendro Sanitation John & Chris Guthart
@MainStreetCharlesCity
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