"People know our events, but they don't know us," said Epple. "They think we are part of the city or the Chamber."
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"That was a city project, but they used our volunteers and design committee to help decide which plan to go with," said Epple.
And with the Farmers' Market building, she noted, Downtown Washington Inc. raised $250,000 for the project and actually owns the building through its nonprofit foundation, but the city leases the first floor and the Chamber runs the market.
"We have a wonderful working relationship with the city and the staff," she commented, "but we haven't done a very good job of educating the community on what we do.
"We do a lot more than just the events," Epple stressed.
'A Lot of Resources to Offer'
Downtown Washington Inc. is an investor-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the downtown region by enhancing its historic identity, cultivating a center of activity and fostering the preservation and development of the city's unique heritage, said Epple. It does this through concentrated efforts of design, economic development, promotion and organizations.
"We strive to complement the city's past while investing in its future through promoting the downtown's many characteristics and facilitating positive activities," she said. "It is by investing in downtown that we are able to contribute and complete many projects of development while maintaining our historic charm."
More than 100 businesses, organizations and churches are investors in Downtown Washington Inc. Most are in the downtown area, but several are not.
What investment offers these businesses and organizations are access to Downtown Washington Inc.'s library of resources as well as guidance and advice in how to improve sales or maximize efforts.
Sometimes the staff at Downtown Washington Inc. has the information. Other times, it connects investors with those who do, said Epple.
A few years ago, when Ruthie's clothing store at 124 W. Main St. wanted to re-evaluate its interior design, owners called Downtown Washington Inc. for help in hiring someone to provide a new lighting design and space layout. For other businesses, Downtown Washington Inc. has helped with everything from discussing ideas and concepts to marketing, planning budgets and obtaining financing for a specific project.
"We have a lot of resources to offer," stressed Epple. "We are like a clearing-house for your building or your business.
"We will do everything from sitting down to discuss an idea to holding your hand to help you create a business plan," she said. "We really have a pulse on downtown and can give a business some ideas or let them know if their idea will work here."
Right now Downtown Washington Inc.'s organization's economic restructuring committee is preparing a survey that will be sent out to retailers within the group to find out what area they would like help with. Once the surveys are returned, the merchants will decide the top four areas and work on those as a group and individually.
The group plans to conduct a traffic pattern comparison for a typical time period in downtown Washington and one during one of the organization's special events.
Downtown Washington Inc. also takes on smaller tasks that can improve the downtown image, like cleaning up the ground floor of the old Otto & Company building, which is strewn with construction materials left over from the upper-floor renovations. Downtown Washington Inc. plans to clean out the space and in the windows install black cloth-covered boards featuring the work of local artists.
"We just thought it would be a lot nicer to look at and it helps promote our local artists," Epple remarked.
Success Stories, Prestigious Distinctions
Businesses that have moved operations to Washington in recent years, like Harman Becker, have remarked to city officials about the strong downtown community, noting that it played a role in their decision to relocate here, said Epple.
That's not just opinion. The proof is in the numbers.
In the five-year period from 2003 to 2008, Epple noted that Downtown Washington Inc. has helped bring to the downtown region more than $2.2 million in building and faade rehab, more than $3.8 million in new construction and more than $5.8 million in building sold valuation. It welcomed 47 new businesses, saw 102 jobs created, had 19 businesses expand and logged 33,531 volunteer hours.
Downtown Washington Inc. also has achieved several prestigious distinctions for the city. It is both a Missouri Main Street Community and National Main Street Community, which gives the city access to special guidance, mentoring, education, training, technical assistance and more.
Downtown Washington Inc. was recognized in 2000, 2001 and 2002 as one of the 20 semifinalists in the Great American Main Street Awards, the highest honor a Main Street Program can receive.
A few years ago, Downtown Washington helped the city qualify for the Missouri DREAM Initiative. DREAM, which stands for Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, provides select communities access to the technical and financial assistance necessary to accomplish their downtown revitalization plans.
"With DREAM, we were able to get a number of projects completed," said Epple. "We got the new Web site design, a housing analysis to find out how much housing and what type of housing we're using to prevent oversaturation, a destination analysis to find out why people are coming here and learn key pieces to keep people coming.
"Basically, DREAM cuts the red tape at the state level and gives us direct access to the staff," she remarked.
Goal to Diversify Funding
Currently Downtown Washington Inc. is funded primarily by the special events it holds - the Art Fair and Winefest, Fall Festival of the Arts and Crafts, Bluesfest, Chili Cookoff . . .
Those account for 70 percent of the group's income. Another 15 percent comes from investors/pledges, 2 percent from the city and the other 13 percent comes from grants and miscellaneous sources.
That's not an ideal breakdown, said Epple. Advisers tell Downtown Washington Inc. that its funding should be more diversified - 30 percent from the city, 30 percent from investors/pledges, 30 percent from special events/fund-raisers and 10 percent miscellaneous.
The reason being, one weekend of bad weather during a single special event, and the group's budget is blown. No one at Downtown Washington had to be told that. They've experienced it.
"If it rains on any given weekend that we have an event, it cripples us for a whole year," said Epple, noting the group has had to take out a loan before to keep things going.
Roots Go Back Many Years
Downtown Washington Inc. was established in 1989 when the city was selected for the Missouri Main Street Program, but the roots of the organization go back decades. Almost since the beginning of Washington there have been merchant committees to promote commerce in the downtown area.
In the 1970s the group incorporated and in more recent years it has helped to make significant architectural improvements to the area, like the Farmers' Market and the Jefferson Streetscape projects.
The first big improvement project Downtown Washington Inc. took on was restoration of the circa 1834 "Godt House" at the northeast corner of Jefferson and Second Streets where the organization now has its offices. The building, which had previously been Modern Auto's used car sales office, was showing its age in 1995, but not any more.
It's now a historic jewel of the downtown area.
"It is the oldest standing structure in downtown Washington," Epple noted.
