Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Downtown's Storefront Upfit Grant supports small businesses that make a big impact on our community ?? During the second half of 2024, 12 storefront businesses received a total of $112,500 in upfit grants through Raleigh Civic Ventures and the Duke Energy Foundation. These grants help energize downtown’s growth by reimbursing new and expanding businesses for upfit expenses, such as product shelving or P.O.S. systems. ?? Bistro 401 ?? Copperline Plant Co. ?? DICED ?? On Board Charcuterie & Catering ?? Origami Styling ?? Pallbearer Vintage ?? Parcero Studio ?? PrimoHoagies ?? Raleigh Lace Museum ?? Sir Walter Coffee + Kitchen ?? The Bar Ber Shop ?? U.B. Paint’n & Sip’n A huge thank you to the Duke Energy Corporation for continuing to invest in our locally-owned, small businesses. ?? Want to apply for a Storefront Upfit Grant? The next application round opens January 2025. Learn more about eligibility ?? https://bit.ly/3xErS0m Derrick Remer

SMILE! You found free parking! Today, the free 2-hr parking pilot program begins in Downtown Raleigh! We Downtown Raleigh Alliance advocated hard for this and worked with Raleigh City Council to get this approved ahead of the holidays. This is a game changer for many of our businesses with 5 participating decks where you can get free 2-hr parking on weekdays (remember parking is already free on-street and in city decks on weekends). Look for the smiley face balloons and "Free 2 Hr Parking" signs at the entrance of the 5 participating decks. We put these out to make it easier for drivers to quickly identify the right decks for this program. Come down and try a lunch place, shop for the holidays, see a client and let us know that you used this program as we continue to advocate for its permanent adoption. Thank you to City of Raleigh Municipal Government staff and Council for their hard work and willingness to try this!

Reflecting on a truly impactful Project Reach Out - Day of Care in Moore Square ?? Last Friday, hundreds of individuals sought assistance from our partner community service providers including free showers, laundry services, housing & employment assistance, health screenings, and more. Thank you to Duke Energy Corporation for the unwavering support that enables us to provide, and expand upon, these services. To all who attended, donated, volunteered, and spread the word: we appreciate you too!

It was an early morning at Moore Square with Downtown Raleigh Alliance for their Project Reach Out. The park was full of services for the day—haircuts, showers, clothes, flu shots, pizza and full of connections to longer-term services—employment, recovery support, primary care providers. Great to see friends from Oak City Cares, SouthLight Healthcare, Triangle Family Services, Dress for Success Triangle NC, AmeriHealth Caritas, and The No Woman, No Girl Initiative I saw several friends who are looking forward to moving in to CASA NC ‘s King’s Ridge apartments in the new year. Thanks to everyone who helps develop affordable housing and to all of you helping until we get enough units for all of our friends who need them.

SMILE! ?? You found free parking! Starting this Friday, five Downtown Raleigh decks will offer free, 2-hour parking during the weekdays. To help you find which decks are participating, we're decorating the entrances with smiley-face balloons, alongside updated City of Raleigh signage. ?? Blount Street Deck, 314 Blount St. ?? City Center Deck, 429 S. Wilmington St. ?? Moore Square Deck, 233 S. Wilmington St. ?? Municipal Complex Deck, 201 W. Morgan St. ?? Wilmington Street Station Deck, 117 S. Wilmington St. This pilot program will run through February 2025 before it's re-evaluated for potential permanent implementation. Friendly reminder — Parking is still free after 7pm and during the weekends in all city-owned decks. Find more information and FAQs ?? https://lnkd.in/eyyKKPC9

Ready to boost your business's digital presence? Sign up for our next Small Business Workshop! Hosted in partnership with IKE Smart City and Main Street America, this free workshop will teach attendees how to maximize their business's online presence through Google platform optimization. Expert Tierra Norwood will guide business owners through Google integrations, and the IKE Smart City team will discuss downtown's new kiosks that help visitors find local businesses—just in time for the holiday season! Thursday, November 21st | 2-3pm | Virtual RSVP ?? https://bit.ly/3pmy0tX

Let's talk numbers: the Downtown Raleigh Q3 Market Report is here ?? These are some highlights – ??? 16 developments are under construction which will add 1,772 residential units, 261 hotel rooms, and 82,944 square feet of retail space. ?? 41 planned and proposed developments would bring a further 7,820 residential units, 1,590 hotel rooms, 368,300 square feet of office space, and 243,507 square feet of retail. ??? Downtown population growth continues with 710 new residential units delivered downtown in 2024 to date. Notable Q3 deliveries include the completion of the Seaboard Station apartment communities of The Miles (204 units) and The Point (75 units). ?? Downtown Raleigh remains the lowest vacancy submarket in the Triangle at 84.8% Class A Office direct occupancy. In notable Q3 leasing activity, the office tower of 301 Hillsborough which delivered in 2021 is now fully leased. Dive deeper into the data including storefront growth, visitation, food & beverage sales, and more ?? https://bit.ly/3jyXfWb

Christmastime can be an amazing, yet sometimes intimidating, season for small businesses. This is why we decided to bring in the marketing experts at Lake House Digital to give their recommendations & insight for our downtown storefront owners leading into the holiday season. Missed this Small Business Workshop? No worries! Stay tuned for more workshops coming up in the near future. Thank you Lake House Digital!

Project Reach Out – Day of Care returns Friday, November 8th ?? ?? This is our bi-annual one-day, one-stop event in Downtown Raleigh that connects social service and community organizations with community members who need their support. Services provided include... - Connection point to housing providers - Free wellness checks and health screenings - Benefits enrollment and employment assistance - Free haircuts, showers, clothing, hygiene products - Pet care - And more Eager to lend a hand? We're looking for volunteers to assist on-site and donations! ?? November 8th | Sponsored by Duke Energy Corporation Fill out the interest form and let us know if you can volunteer or donate supplies ?? https://lnkd.in/eCCPVaZi

Calling all small business owners! ?? DRA is hosting our next Small Business Workshop this month, "Digital Tools for Small Businesses: Maximize Your Holiday Marketing." The workshop is focused on helping entrepreneurs make the most out of their digital marketing plans leading up to the holiday season. ?? Friday, October 25th ?? 9:30-10:30am Register for free ?? https://bit.ly/3pmy0tX