Heart of Jasper's Quarter 1 Recap
To Our Supporters:
I said this in my last letter, but I need to say it again….Thank you, Thank you to each and every one of our supporters. If you supported Heart of Jasper with your time, energy, financials, we greatly appreciate you. It is hard to believe that we are already rolling into Quarter 2, but bring on the warm weather! Here is an update on our projects:
2022 Projects:
Façade Grant Program
· Round 2 is complete and we were able to fund 7 projects! These improvements are huge for our downtown. The buildings that are the recipients:
o Merle Norman Building
o Former HLS
o Jagged Edge and American Mercantile Building
o Former Stewart Hotel
o Elements Building
o Forest Fresh Building
o Pub N Grubb Building
We want to thank the City of Jasper for this partnership and the funding to make this program possible!
New Business Incentive
· Through a Partnership with the Genesis 12 donor, we began a New Business Incentive to attract businesses to open in the downtown district. We have donated dollars to 2 recipients so far:
o Tell City Pretzel
o American Mercantile
We have had a lot of interest and look forward to seeing new businesses join the downtown merchants! Application and guidelines can be found at https://www.heartofjasper.org/new-business-incentive/
We want to thank the Genesis 12 donor for continuing to bless others with their generous giving!
Flower Planters
· HOJ volunteers will be planting flowers in the 17 large flower planters toward the end of April/early May. We will not be planting the ground flower beds this year due to the construction.
Small Business Week
· Small Business Week is May 1st- May 7th. We love our small businesses! Thank you for being a part of our community.
The Pop Up Market
· We are popping up again on May 6th and May 7th at the River Centre! The mission behind the pop up market is two-fold: fill vacant building space and provide an inexpensive space for entrepreneurs to sell their product.
· Merchants-you are welcome to join us in the market to showcase your product! Reach out to Kate if you are interested in participating.
Christmas Decorations
· Through a partnership with ROJAC, we will be purchasing new Christmas decorations for the Heart of Jasper district! Phase 1 will be redoing the Old Jasper Area and some of South and North Main Street in 2022. Phase 2 will be focusing on the Courthouse Square in 2023.
Downtown Courthouse Infrastructure and Revitalization Project
· We want to support the merchants in every way possible during construction. We will continue to work on this plan as we learn more about the construction process. If you have any suggestions on how we can best support the businesses, please reach out to me! The plans for the project can be found here: https://www.jasperindiana.gov/category/subcategory.php?categoryid=42
· The website will be the source of updates on the construction project. Check the website daily!
New Website
· HOJ has a new website powered by Locable! Check it out here: www.heartofjasper.org.
· If you are a merchant in the HOJ district, we would love to have you in the directory. https://www.heartofjasper.org/directory/
Upcoming Events
· Downtown Chowdown on April 13th, May 11th, September 14th, October 12th.
· Farm to Table Dinner on October 1st. Location on North Main Street between 7th and 9th Streets.
Events can be found at https://www.heartofjasper.org/calendar/
I would love to hear your feedback, ideas, and/or questions. Please reach out at any time via email at [email protected] or via phone at 812-661-2881. Stay in touch by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and our website at www.heartofjasper.org.
Thank you for allowing the Heart of Jasper team to work with you!
Kate Schwenk
