Makeover magic

The storefronts on Grant Avenue were one of the first things Farmers Insurance agent Juan Luna saw when he came to Odessa 30 years ago.

He thought about opening a business on the downtown thoroughfare back then, so when he moved to his current office across from the courthouse three years ago, it was like coming full circle. And a lucky call from Main Street Odessa Executive Director Nancy Wells added icing to the cake.

Wells let Luna know about one of three grants Main Street offers to business owners in Odessa's greater downtown area. The grants - one for façade improvements, another for paint and glass repairs and the third for new signs - are one of several ways Main Street gets closer to its goal of revitalizing downtown.

"One of the simplest things we can do to attract business is to make (downtown) more attractive," Wells said Tuesday. "We're trying to rehabilitate some of these buildings."

Luna used a sign grant to help him get a sparkling new placard for his storefront at 309 S. Grant Ave. - it cost about $2,000 before installation.

"Five-hundred dollars is $500," Luna said. "It's something that'll help us alleviate the installation costs."

Main Street's sign and paint-and-glass repair grants are capped at $500 and require a 50/50 match from business owners. The façade grant, funded solely through U.S. Housing and Urban Development monies, can go up to $7,000.

No set match is required from the grant recipient on the façade grant, but Wells said there's some expectation that business owners will chip in.

The grants are only available to business owners within Odessa's greater downtown area, which stretches from 16th Street south to Interstate 20 in some places. Dixie Boulevard makes up the eastern border with West County Road on the western edge.

Wells said business owners can apply for the grants through Main Street, and if they're chosen, they must get bids for whatever job they need help on.

"We really do walk them through the process," she said.

Wells said Main Street has enough in the façade-grant budget to help to two or three business owners. The sign and paint-and-glass grant budgets have several thousand dollars each.

"We're trying to help small business people get a leg up, because they're the backbone of the community," Wells said.  

LEARN MORE

>> A Main Street Odessa class on how to apply for façade, sign and paint-and-glass repair grants begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 9 at Municipal Plaza, 119 W. Fourth St.

>> Main Street Odessa's executive director Nancy Wells will go over the ins and outs of applying, who qualifies, restrictions and how fast business owners can expect to see the dough.

>> Visit Main Street's website or call 335-4682 for information.