HAMPTON, Va. - Retail experts are in Hampton's Phoebus neighborhood this month, working with five businesses looking to grow and improve experience for their customers.
In March, Retail Alliance and Phoebus Partnership announced the five winners of micro grants and consultant work as part of a new pilot program: Art Central Gallery, Happy Hempo, Palace Jewelers, SeeWhich Books and Sly Clyde Ciderworks.
"We want to be able to target and look at these small pockets of commerce to really uplift them," said Kylie Ross Sibert of Retail Alliance, a Norfolk organization with a mission to support local small businesses.
It's the idea behind the new program funded by a $100,000 grant from Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development. News 3 first reported on the initiative in November.
The grant dollars will pay for five consultants — known as a Retail Technical Assistance (RTA) team — to work directly with selected businesses; Paige Pollard and Katie Yester from Commonwealth Preservation Group, Stephanie Heinatz from Consociate Media, Sara Harris from Sara Harris Photography, Bill Holloran from SBDC Hampton Roads, and Angela Knight from Angela Knight Consulting.
“(We're looking at) facades, interior, consumer experience, what’s done digitally as well as in the physical environment," said Sibert, adding that left over dollars will then be given as micro grants to the businesses, likely $3,000 to $5,000.
Consultants began working with the businesses this month and News 3 was invited to some of the meetings.
“They have an incredible, pedestrian-oriented community that’s anchored by Hampton on one end and Fort Monroe on the other," said Paige Pollard with Commonwealth Preservation Group.
Pollard's team is working with the businesses to figure out how they can improve their property to attract potential customers and improve their experience, while also preserving the historic spaces they occupy.
“(Asking) questions about, what is their capacity to invest in their property? What’s their vision, both short-term and long-term? We like to set people up so that they have some actionable steps, some things they can do immediately," she told News 3.
One of those businesses is Sly Clyde, which develops and sells its hard ciders on site on Mellen Street.
“Our family’s had something on this site for more than 100 years," Doug Smith, co-owner of Sly Clyde, told News 3. “This is the home of H. Clyde Smith, my grandfather. We named it after him. We’re committed to Phoebus.”
And Phoebus loves having a drink, making good conversation and playing corn hole on the business's big outdoor space.
“We’re looking really intentionally on the outside," said Smith. "We want to look at the landscaping and how we really manage the flow of people coming and going.”
Sibert says once the businesses finish meeting with consultants and putting their wish lists together, they'll likely get the grant money in September to begin work.
But this is still only a pilot program and Sibert tells News 3 that — if successful — Retail Alliance will be looking to do the same work in other communities of locally-owned shops.
“It may work beyond Phoebus. If we can bring these skills of this team to other areas…that’s what we want to do," she said.
