Fresh paint, signs and doors are a few changes in the Farmers Market District off Reno Ave., in Oklahoma City.
Businesses in the city have put American Rescue Plan Act grant funds to work in the form of new storefronts. Areas like the district have new infrastructure to support their local businesses.
Chelsea Simpson is co-owner of Urban Agrarian, a locally sourced grocery store that has been in business for about 16 years. The store is in a building that is nearly 100 years old, and she used the funds to replace the store’s large garage doors, the front door and sign.
“We are in a building that is a warehouse as well as our storefront, and so our garage doors are not only important for the look of the building, but we actually use our front dock as a receiving zone too for trucks and unloading,” Simpson said.
She said the front was damaged because of repeated break-in attempts a few years ago. With winter looming, Simpson said having new doors that seal is an added benefit.
The Farmers Market building is almost 100 years old, and businesses surrounding Urban Agrarian have also entered the storefront program.
“So now our little corner, I think, is one of the best-looking spaces in the district thanks to this grant,” Simpson said.
The storefront funds came through the American Rescue Plan Act, which was passed in 2021 to help communities recover from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oklahoma City minority-owned businesses and establishments in a federally designated low-income area, known as a Qualified Census Tract, were eligible to apply for reimbursements of up to $25,000 for outdoor building improvements.
Joseph Laws, program manager for the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, said the storefront program has been popular. The alliance rolled to the program through different rounds and in this most recent cycle, 200 businesses qualified to use the funding after submitting an application.
Along with using the funds to enhance the physical appearance of buildings to increase foot traffic, Laws said some businesses have more energy-efficient spaces because of new doors and windows.
“The city also passed a sign ordinance earlier this year, so a lot of businesses used this program to come into better compliance with that sign ordinance,” Laws said.
The changes in Oklahoma City come as Urban Agrarian is undergoing major changes. On Friday, the company announced it would close its Edmond store due to poor sales, while keeping the OKC location open.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
