MARLBOROUGH – After receiving grant funds, pop-up shops will be coming to downtown Marlborough.
The city of Marlborough was recently awarded a Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) grant that was offered by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development.
The grant award of $35,466.20 was made possible through the efforts of a partnership between the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) on behalf of the city and the 495/MetroWest Partnership.
The winning application for Marlborough supports a downtown pop-up project, named the “Downtown Pop-Up Shops,” which plans to create increased retail opportunities for online or home retailers in the community interested in testing their concept in a brick-and-mortar setting in the downtown area.
“The ultimate goal is to have our Main Street include a variety of consumer retail outlets and services to attract additional customers who will support the small business community. It’s great to be able to walk Main Street and get a few errands done without having to get back into your vehicle,” said Mayor Arthur Vigeant.
The funds will be used to purchase sheds and equipment to implement a temporary merchant area from May to October that will be located at the corner of Court and Weed streets.
With the lack of storefront vacancies in downtown Marlborough, these temporary sheds will provide a unique space for interested merchants.
“We are consistently hearing from unique retailers that would love to open a business in downtown Marlborough, but there isn’t much opportunity in terms of available space,” said MEDC’s executive director, Meredith Harris. “Additionally, this project will attract visitors to our downtown area and bring increased foot traffic to support the small businesses that are currently located here as well as the Marlborough Farmers Market that returns in June and is organized by Lost Shoe and supported by the city.”
A letter from Peter Milano, director of strategy and business development for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, said, “We anticipate the funds for the approved projects will bring additional economic vitality to the region. We are proud of the progress we have made together and look forward to further strengthening our partnership as we continue assisting businesses and communities throughout the Commonwealth.”
For those interested in learning more about the “Downtown Pop-Up Shops” project and opportunities to be a vendor, please reach out to Lindsey Jaworek at MEDC, [email protected], or 508-229-2010.
