Greetings Members and Partners of the River District,
Summer in the River District has been filled with successes - from
the opening of several new businesses, to a season of great events and an exceptional fundraising effort for the Square. Read on to learn more!
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Success with Sidewalk Sales  Whether you are a downtown business owner or patron, you likely noticed a few changes to this year's River District Sidewalk
Sales held July 8-11.
Several retailers encouraged exploration of the District and
the Sales by creating works of chalk art on their sidewalks, while a few others
(Katzenbarkers, SII Investments and Beyond Muscle) participated in the Sales
for the first time at the First American Center Plaza. A survey of Sidewalk Sales participants demonstrates a
number of other highlights. According to 90% of respondents, their participation in
the Sales made a moderate to very positive financial impact on their business. Additionally, all
of the businesses participating for the first time this year said they plan to
participate next year. Judi Pecha, Manager of Sandy's Clothing & Art (a first-time participant) also reports, "We enjoyed customer traffic and customer enthusiasm that an
old-fashioned Sidewalk Sales downtown Wausau created, especially Thursday. We
were very busy Sunday and experienced a lot of local and out-of-town guests.... we
definitely plan to be open 11am to 3pm next year on Sunday!" The survey results also show a strong desire to see
Sidewalk Sales grow in 2011 by expanding the initiatives that began this year
and developing new ones that will encourage additional participation as well as
that "old-fashioned" customer enthusiasm for a good sidewalk sale.
Thank you to Lisa Coady and the First American Center for their help in expanding the Sales to the Plaza, representatives from Shepherd & Schaller, The Talent Shop, Northwoods Goldsmith, Katzenbarkers and St. Clair's Menswear for their assistance with planning the Sales, and all of the businesses that participated!
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SquareUp For Success
Just nine months after the Square Up Committee launched a $1
million capital campaign to support the City Square Enhancement Plan, over $950,000
has been raised! The success of this fundraising effort is the result of strong
community support for the enhancement of public green space in Wausau's city
center to increase the Square's value as a community asset. The Square will be improved aesthetically and functionally with the installation of increased seating areas, improved landscaping and upgraded electric,
sound and water systems.
The City will begin deconstructing the Square's existing
facilities this September (following the arts festival), and its reconstruction
will continue as long as weather permits. It is anticipated that the project
will be completed in the spring of 2011.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.2 million.
As owner of this space, the City will contribute an estimated $200,000 of
in-kind services to the project.
Contributions can continue to be made at the following locations: cfoncw.org, at or by mail to CFONCW (500 1st Street,
Suite 2600, Wausau, WI 54403), or at Wausau City Hall (407 Grant Street).
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The River District Welcomes...
Main Street Wausau, Inc. welcomes and congratulates the following businesses and organizations on their successful moves to the
River District! Click on the business name to be directed to their website if available.
Coldwater Creek
Coldwater Creek, a national women's apparel and accessories retailer, opened its doors at 316 3rd Street in Washington Square in early July! According to district manager Theresa Munsell, Wausau is the first community of its size to have a Coldwater Creek store. The City of Wausau was chosen for the store in part because it has such an appealing downtown and a customer base loyal to Coldwater's catalogue. As the first national retailer to set up shop on 3rd Street in the past 27 years, this opening is a tremendous testament to the River District's revitalization and a sign of our continued growth!
Coldwater Creek's store hours are Mon. - Fri.,10am to 8pm, and Sat. and Sun., 10am to 6pm. 715.842.9020
Wausau / Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
 After taking 20 different locations into consideration to house their visitor center and office facilities, the CVB now calls the River District "home". It has been almost two months since their move to the Palladian (219 Jefferson St.) and their facility is nearing completion! Finishing touches include improvements to their 3rd Street entrance and public restrooms that will be finished by the end of the month.
The CVB is already hard at work promoting the new Visitor Center location (and downtown Wausau). These efforts include the development of rack cards that will be distributed at 32 locations to encourage people to stop at the Visitor Center and explore downtown Wausau, the promotion of highway and wayfinding signs from HWY 51/29 to Downtown Wausau that were recently installed, and much more!
According to CVB's Executive Director, Darien Schaefer, "The CVB staff is excited to be downtown and are looking forward to being good neighbors and partners in promoting the Wausau area. Thank you for welcoming us and helping to get the word out!"
In addition to settling in, the CVB is busy developing a new website, the 2011 Visitors Magazine, and the new Sports Authority initiative. The CVB is open daily, 9am to 5pm. 715.355.8788
Cavolo's Pizza
Cavolo's Pizza opened earlier this month at 402 S. 2nd Ave. in the former Papa John's Pizza location. Owned and managed by Corry and Melissa Boehm, this couple is cooking up a variety of pizzas - from taco to bacon cheeseburger. Their menu also includes bread sticks, wings and daily specials. Cavolo's Pizza is open daily from 11am to 10pm for dine-in or delivery! 715.849.1818
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Business Resources
Financial Tool Inventory
Click here to link to a comprehensive inventory of hundreds of financial tools available to businesses and economic development projects at the federal and state levels. This tool makes identifying financial resources that fit your needs quicker and easier by providing brief descriptions and eligibility criteria for each program.
Data for Retailers
Retailers may find "Fashion Nation: What Retailers Know About Us", an article in the Wall Street Journal, to contain useful data on regional consumer preferences on colors and brands. Simply click on the name to connect to the article.
For more articles like the one above, click here.
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Downtown Wausau Welcomes New Residents
If you've ever moved to a new community you can
probably recall some of the first businesses you visited in that area. Why? Because
often times we're creatures of habit; we become familiar with a particular product, service or friendly store owner and we
tend to be loyal to them. This
can be a great thing for your business if you're able to identify and reach out
to newcomers to the area. While doing this on your own would be a challenge, Wausau Area Newcomer Service makes it
easy.
This organization compiles and delivers packets
of information, coupons and gift certificates from local businesses and service
providers to welcome new residents to the Wausau area. Within this packet,
information provided by businesses located within downtown Wausau's River District are
grouped together in an individual packet. This downtown focused packet
currently contains a directory of River District businesses produced by Main
Street Wausau, and the coupons and gift certificates of several downtown
businesses.
Joe Pepowski with The Mint Café is one of those participants. According
to Joe, "We experience a return rate of 75% to 80% on the $5 gift certificates
we include in the packet." While return visits aren't as easy to track, Joe says
he hopes their
initial experience will keep customers coming back for more.
This may be a great way to boost your
business while also supporting the entire downtown community. With more down businesses
participation, the greater our ability will be to impress upon newcomers what we already know - that downtown Wausau is packed with shopping, dining, entertainment and service
opportunities!
 For more information on this service,
contact Kris Lemke at 715.355.1584 or lemke3@verizon.net.
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Downtown Events Continue!
 MarketPlace ThursdaysA variety of vendors
will continue to fill the 400 block from 9am to 2pm through September
9th! Festival of Arts
Wausau's annual Festival of Arts is now in its
46th year! This year, the free celebration of the arts that decorates downtown
Wausau with exceptional artwork, entertainment and children's activities takes
place September 11th and 12th, 10am-5pm.
Exhibitour On Saturday, September 18th from 6-8pm
a number of downtown businesses, or Host Galleries, will once again transform
their establishments into art galleries for fall Exhibitour! Host
Galleries offer wine samples and hors d'ouevres
to event patrons as they mingle with the artists and friends. If your
business would like to participate in Exhibitour, contact Dawn at
715.845.1328 or Dawn@MainStreetWausau.org for an application. Please
note the application deadline is Friday, Aug. 27th.
Harvest Fest Wausau Area Events'
annual Harvest Fest, typically held on the City Square, will be held on Oak
Island this year as a result of the Square's reconstruction. Event-goers will enjoy a pumpkin patch, Wild Wausau petting zoo, arts and crafts and much more from 10am
and 2pm on Saturday, September 25th.
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See you in the District,
Dawn
Dawn Follendorf Manager
Main Street Wausau, Inc.
316 Scott Street
Wausau, WI 54403
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| River District Calendar of Events | |
MarketPlace Thursdays:
Sept. 2 & 9, 9am-2pm
Festival of Arts:
Sept. 11 & 12, 10am-5pm
Exhibitour:
Sept. 18, 6-8pm
Harvest Fest:
Sept. 25th, 10am-2pm
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