Herb Talabere
Progress on the New Streets Lights
The Ground-Breaking Lights Event that occured last fall are currently in the process of going up. The fixture lights are an upgrade to the infrastructure on East Main Street. The new lights are LEDs which will be built from Gould Road to the Whitehall border. They will cut down on power consumption tremendously. LED lights are also brighter which will make East Main Street safer for drivers and pedestrians. The lighting company are installing all new wiring and mounts for the new lights which will provide newer infrastructure as well.
Image from Grainger
According to HowStuffWorks.com, “LEDs have extremely long lives — they don’t have filaments that can quickly burn out —and they don’t contain toxic chemicals like mercury. LEDs are highly energy efficient and are advocated as a means for reducing carbon emissions.”
Overall, these new street lights will have a positive dramatic effect on the appearance of East Main Street, making it more attractive and safer for investment, for businesses, for shopping, and for walking. We cannot wait for the lights to continue to go up and build a safer community.
From the Statehouse to Epstein Chapel: the politics of the Special Improvement District
Image from WOSU Public Media.
While the buzzwords of “support small businesses” and “buy local” have only increased in importance since the pandemic’s onset, we found it appropriate to provide a bit more depth to our inner workings as a collective of small business owners. As such, we hope that this post can be used and reused as a quick reference for information about us and the organizations we work with, public and private.
The Statehouse
Looking to the origin point of our nonprofit improvement district starts at the public venue of the Ohio Statehouse. While we’ve never conducted official business in the iconic capitol building, our very existence comes from its resident lawmakers and their latest approval of Section 1710.02 of the Ohio Revised Code. As of this past Monday, the legality of our existence is amended as follows:
“A special improvement district may be created within the boundaries of any one municipal corporation, any one township, or any combination of municipal corporations and townships within a single county, or counties that adjoin one another, for the purpose of developing and implementing plans for public improvements and public services that benefit the district.”
Although the concept of special improvement districts (SIDs) originated in Canada in the 1970s, Ohio first adopted legislation that formalized rules surrounding our creation, responsibilities, and scope on January 1st, 2012. Given this legal basis, our group was conceived at the next political step down: the Columbus City Council.
The Columbus City Council
Consisting of seven presiding members, the Columbus City Council conducts business along with Mayor Ginther, Auditor Kilgore, Attorney Klein, and other elected officials. The then-chair of Small and Minority Business Committee, Shannon Hardin (now the Council President), met with us in a public hearing of what would become the East Main Street SID on March 20, 2017. Upon eliciting signatures from at least 60% of businesses with storefronts along the East Main corridor from Bexley to Whitehall, we launched in fall of 2017. This marked our addition to the growing list as the sixth SID within the Columbus area, joining ranks with the likes of Capital Crossroads, Discovery District, Morse Road, University District, and the Short North.
Since our creation, we have been overseen by the same Small and Minority Business Committee, a committee of the Economic Development segment of the Columbus City Council’s Development Department. To this extent, our oversight depends on the officials that you elect. Our re-authorization this past March means that our list of community-betterment activities will continue to grow in working towards our mission of “clean and safe, into the future.” As for what we have planned, that depends on who all attends the next meeting at our headquarters, more or less:
Epstein Memorial Chapel
Although Epstein Memorial Chapel isn’t a taxed member-business of our district, we’ve enjoyed the chapel as meeting place because of our connection via David Levy, our Vice Chairperson. With a September meeting date to be determined, we ask that you look out for a announcement soon! To ensure that you receive word, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter (linked in footer below).
5 Best Businesses to Start In a Pandemic
Bexley city limits on E Main Street.
COVID-19 and its mandates have forced many small businesses to adapt. Businesses like restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and other entertainment venues suffered from stay-at-home orders and had to innovate or else. As a result, some business owners have expanded their offered services, retired, or are looking to enter a new financial foray entirely.
Speaking of, we at the SID were wondering - what businesses seem to be the best to launch in a pandemic? After reviewing the companies with the highest stock increases since the pandemic’s onset and a some op-eds, we have picked out our top five best businesses to start at this point. For this list, we assumed the following insight regarding today’s best business practice:
The more online-friendly commerce, the better. If the pandemic has revealed any singular consumer preference, it’s been how much we would rather pay for online goods and services and have them delivered. Adding delivery options was a common recourse for adapting businesses, as seen with 42% of affected restaurants.
That said, in no particular order, here are our top five suggested businesses to launch as we continue to recover.
1.) Online Consulting. Combining new trends with the tried-and-true practices of a helpful discipline directly appeals to fulfilling passion and demand for knowledge simultaneously. Demand for the latest on areas like organizational communication, graphic design, public relations, political messaging, and more knowledge areas has increased with businesses adapting to the pandemic. Put your expertise to use!
2.) Freelance Copywriting. As message-centered as our screen-based world is, wordsmiths are in-demand more now than ever. This option promises income from clients as long as your copies can be published (i.e., so long as you have Internet access). Perhaps I should launch into this option between studies other social media ventures and the upcoming summer. Develop your style and voice!
3). Digital Marketing. Adjacent to the Consulting idea above, this option represents a more focused approach to increasing clients’ relevancy in the digital sphere. If anything, we might argue that a demand for better marketing has been generated by the redundancy of one-liners from brands about exactly how “uncertain” these times are. As true as it is, we’re all tired of hearing it. Get your client’s voice heard!
4.) Commercial Cleaning. Being in our homes for as long as we have been has given us plenty of time to notice just how cluttered our closets really are. Or how unorganized our pantries are. Or just how generally messy our houses are. Though we may have been able to handle this much-needed cleaning at the start of the pandemic, our return to normalcy will leave rooms to be upkept. This demand can combine with booming sanitizing businesses to create many cleaning crews for homes and other small businesses. Mask up and wipe down!
5.) Real Estate. Maybe quarantine made you sick of your previous residence. Being locked inside may be inspiring you to find another home to improve. Chances are you aren’t the only one looking to move to a more fitting home for their needs. Why not insert yourself as the middleman between those who are anxious to leave their pandemic cell and invest in a stronghold for their post-pandemic plan? Suit up and sell!
Images from Merchant Maverick, Medium, Relevance, WorkWave, and Real Estate Structured.
A Day on E Main Street
Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s a great time to take a walk down E Main Street. If you’re trying to figure out where to stop on your walk, here are some great recommendations.
A great place to stop for breakfast is Grill & Skillet Diner. They have a classic diner feel and will serve up great food and memories. Their food is fantastic and reasonably priced.
Grill and Skillet Diner
The next pit stop will be Big Walnut Park. This one is a bit of a walk, but it’s always good to get that exercise in. Big Walnut Park is a great place to go on a walk, relax, and enjoy nature. This will be a great part of your E Main Street experience.
Big Walnut Park
Your next stop for lunch is going to be at Papa Joe’s Pizza. It’s always nice to go to a local place for some good pizza. Papa Joe’s is reasonably priced and a great alternative to corporate pizza chains. They also have a classic pizza shop feel.
Papa Joe’s Pizza
The next stop is going to be Grain & Grape for a relaxing cup of wine or cold glass of beer to ease into your afternoon. Grain & Grape has a classic, elegant, and relaxing feel. Although its only the afternoon, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
Grain & Grape
At this point in your day, it is just about time for dinner. Your dinner stop is going to be at The Top Steakhouse. The Top is a popular go-to on E Main Street. They have excellent food and a great date night feel. They even have live music every evening.
The Top Steakhouse
You have come to your final stop of the day on E Main Street at the Blu Note Jazz Cafe. This is a great place to wind down after your long day and relax to some nice jazz music. This will be the perfect end to your day on E Main Street.
Blu Note Jazz Cafe
These are just a few possibilities for your day on E Main Street. Get out there soon and enjoy the great weather, as well as all these great places that E Main Street has to offer!