The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach has launched a program to support locally owned businesses facing rising costs and seasonal challenges.
The Community Business Preservation Program was created in March in response to concerns from business owners about redevelopment, lease uncertainty, rising rents and the changing character of Palm Beach’s commercial districts.
Foundation officials said these challenges threaten some longstanding businesses and Palm Beach’s distinctive character.
To help, the Preservation Foundation has established a fund to provide grant and loan assistance to qualifying businesses facing financial hardship. The fund was initially supported by a contribution from foundation executive committee member Charles M. Royce and has since grown to nearly $200,000 through additional donations, Preservation Foundation President and CEO Danielle Del Sol told the Daily News.
“We’re providing promotional assistance, technical assistance and financial assistance as needed,” Del Sol said. “If someone has a plan where they’re going to move and need a loan to outfit a new space, we absolutely would be willing to do that.”
Del Sol said the program was a grassroots response to real-world challenges faced by mom-and-pop businesses, many with deep roots on the island.
“We started hearing about all these other businesses that were struggling to stay open or saying they were going to have to close,” Del Sol said. “All these business transactions that have happened on South County Road lately are causing dramatic changes in rental rates. It’s really putting a lot of businesses either at risk or having them shut down entirely.”
The idea for the program had been discussed for years, Del Sol said, inspired in part by business-support initiatives in other communities and by foundation board members interested in preserving small-town commercial districts.
But the effort formally took shape after staff and board members learned that Chik Monk Coffee owner David Beil was losing his space at the Paramount Theatre property and scrambling to find a new location.
“A lot of us go to Chik Monk,” Del Sol said. “And when we found out that they were getting evicted from the Paramount and they were panicking trying to find new space, we thought maybe we could help them. That’s how it actually formally got started was by seeing this immediate need from a business, a business that we love, but also business owners that are so lovely.”
The foundation has been working with at least five businesses so far, she said, including Chik Monk at 139 N. County Rd. and All Brand Vacuums at 305 S. County Rd.
All Brand Vacuums owner James Sim is preparing to relocate his business in July after rising rent forced him to leave his longtime storefront of 12 years.
Sim said four businesses on the block are also moving out as lease costs increase and the ownership of the property changed. He said parking and construction disruptions also have had a detrimental affect on customer traffic.
“Rent’s gone up too much,” he said, adding that he is moving to a smaller space at 221 Sunrise Avenue.
Sim said he has had initial contact with the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach through the Community Business Preservation Program, although plans are still being worked out.
“They said they’re going to provide resources and assistance,” he said.
Beil said the foundation has been working with his business and offering guidance as it searches for a new location.
“They’ve been great guides,” he said. “They’ve just been working with us and giving us a lot of different advice and feedback on how to go about helping with our new location search.”
As the program continues to develop over coming months, assistance for local businesses will include:
∎ Development of tailored marketing strategies and promotional plans that businesses can implement year-round.
∎ Dedicated business listings on the foundation’s website, including an interactive map highlighting participating businesses.
∎ Promotion through the foundation’s social media and digital communications channels.
∎ Technical assistance and advisory support for lease negotiations.
∎ Financial guidance and strategic assistance for relocation efforts when needed.
A special committee of foundation members has been formed to guide the initiative and work directly with participating businesses to identify needs and provide support, Del Sol said.
She said the foundation eventually hopes to expand the program beyond financial and technical assistance.
“Our ultimate goal would be we’d love to have commercial space that we could lease out to local businesses at an affordable rate,” Del Sol said.
Alex Ives, a former Preservation Foundation president and a member of the town’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, said concerns about preserving longtime local businesses have surfaced over the past decade as rents have risen and redevelopment reshaped parts of the town’s commercial districts.
“I think the time has come,” Ives said of the push to support local businesses. “You’re losing certain character-defining services. Everything is becoming high end and luxury, which is great. But just because we’re an affluent community doesn’t mean you don’t still need a cobbler and a place to get your dry cleaning done.”
Ives said many residents value the presence of longstanding local businesses and neighborhood services, which he believes are an important part of what preservation should include.
“Preservation isn’t always just physical buildings,” he said. “It can be the businesses themselves, and it can certainly be the people.”
Del Sol said the Community Business Preservation Program aligns closely with the foundation’s broader mission of preserving Palm Beach’s cultural heritage and community character.
“If we lose them, we’re really losing a huge part of the culture of the community here,” she said of longtime local businesses. “We feel like it’s a really good fit for us mission-wise.”
The foundation is encouraging business owners facing lease or relocation challenges, or seeking more information, to contact the organization at 561-832-0731.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Preservation Foundation program helps businesses facing rising costs
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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