Fresh Entertainment & Shopping To Downtown Area
By Stephanie Alicia James | Photos by Ashlee Glen
Playing games at a local arcade, receiving indoor plant education, learning dances, and shopping at a high-end thrift clothing store are all new opportunities that residents and visitors alike can now enjoy downtown.
This new year offers fresh entertainment and shopping opportunities through businesses located in downtown Lynchburg, and the owners of these new businesses shared a common task before opening— participating in the Downtown Lynchburg Association’s Launch LYH program. The Launch LYH program aims to support entrepreneurs who are ready to start a new business, relocate their business, or expand their footprint with a downtown location. Individuals who go through the program participate in an eight-week educational course that covers all aspects of business start-up—from accounting to marketing. The eight-week period then culminates in a pitch competition, with winning pitches receiving cash grants to assist businesses in their new venture.
This year, the program was funded through a $115,000 grant from the Truist Foundation, a resource that helps build communities.
Businesses that participated in the program and received grant funding include Super Rad!, Mosaic Collective and Threaded, Easy Speak Dance Hall & Events, and PREAM–Plants Rule Everything Around Me. Those that were selected to receive a part of the grant distribution were able to overcome financial barriers that so many entrepreneurs face when starting a business.
“Access to capital is a hard thing especially in marginalized communities,” said Downtown Lynchburg Association Business Development Coordinator Kelvin Whitehurst.
Along with the cash reward, Launch LYH winners were given access to other benefits, as well, including comprehensive marketing support.
“We would help them with social media and building their websites,” said Whitehurst. The winners also received promotion through television advertisements and radio.
For Launch LYH participants, the eight-week program was split into two tracks: Track One was for beginners, those with little to no hands-on business experience. Track Two was for more seasoned entrepreneurs who simply needed a leg-up in the downtown market.
“It provided a foundation for new and existing businesses,” explained Whitehurst.
Whitehurst noted that the businesses opened up right around the holidays.
“For the Launch LYH grantees that are not retail businesses, such as Super Rad! and Easy Speak Dance Hall & Events; well, those are just two more exciting attractions people can enjoy their time at,” Whitehurst said.
With a 22 percent vacancy rate of storefronts in the downtown area in 2022, the program became part of a solution.
“The main point of the program was to fill vacancies at a lot of places,” Whitehurst said.
For its debut, the Downtown Association Launch LYH first accepted applications in February 2023. Special consideration was given to small women-owned and minority businesses. The timeline for taking applications sparked a wide range of applicants.
“One hundred fourteen people applied for the program,” Whitehurst said. “We ended up accepting 25 people.”
Then in March, classes began. To help with the program, the Small Business Development Center taught classes that involved business start-up necessities: ordinances and taxes. The Center also handled all the small business advising.
Also helping with the program was the City of Lynchburg Office of Economic Development and Tourism as well as other community professionals.
Though there is no set date yet for this year’s program, the Downtown Lynchburg Association is excited to continue the program and anticipates similar success.
“You are going to receive an education that you cannot put a price tag on,” said Whitehurst.
The following four businesses completed training, received grant funding, and opened a storefront downtown location right before the New Year—a program participation requirement.
EASY SPEAK DANCE HALL
Located at 409 5th Street Suite E, Easy Speak Dance Hall and Events attendees will be taught several dances ranging from soul line dancing to salsa dancing.
“We will have two to three hours of social dancing,” said Easy Speak Dance Hall and Events owner Genette Dahlby. Beyond learning to dance at the woman-owned business, people will have the opportunity to have private events.
Dahlby recalled going through the program and that she was part of Track Two, which was the educational track for more experienced entrepreneurs.
“I was really excited to be a part of it, “ said Dahlby.
PREAM
PREAM, located at 409 5th Street Suite A, is an indoor house plant shop. In addition to offering a storefront full of unique house plants, PREAM business owner Latia Hancock said that PREAM will host classes like House Plants 101 to learn basic plant care and terrarium building workshops. As a bonus, PREAM will offer events that offer relaxation and conversation similar to paint and sip but it will be referred to as plant and sip.
Hancock was elated after receiving an email that she was selected for the program.
“I think that I was looking for the little push. I made a lot of connections,” said Hancock, who also previously participated in another program called CO.STARTERS, which helps aspiring business owners.
SUPER RAD!
Super Rad!, a two-story arcade business located at 58 9th Street, features 50 to 60 arcade-style games. As the only arcade bar in Lynchburg, Super Rad! is fulfilling a unique void—a place where folks can eat, drink, and interact with one another beyond the dining table. Live gaming tournaments will also take place at Super Rad! in the future. Super Rad co-owners Culleen Jennings and Calvin Hoskins had started working on an arcade business concept in 2019 and Jennings said that he found the training helpful to get them through the final stretch of opening their business.
“They walked us step by step,” said Jennings. “And it helped us a lot.”
Mosaic Collective And Threaded
Victoria Cropper, Mosaic Collective’s Chief Operating Officer, who is a business partner with owner Jen Tartini explained that Mosaic Collective and Threaded is part of a dual operation. One aspect of the business—Mosaic Collective—offers merchandise created by refugees, people experiencing homelessness, and human trafficking survivors from different parts of the world including Kenya, Thailand, and Nepal. The other arm of the business, Threaded, is a high quality second-hand clothing shop.
Mosaic Collective, which has been in business for two years, is now in a new location after sharing a space on 5th Street with another business that closed last year. When the Launch LYH program became available, it was an opportunity for Tartini to make a pitch for a new location that incorporated an expansion. The new space is now located at 1219 Main Street.
“It was a wonderful experience,” Cropper said of her participation in the Launch LYH program.
Applications for the 2024 Launch LYH Program are open and will remain open until January 31. Details can be found on the Downtown Lynchburg Association website.
