CINCINNATI — The first tenants of the Main Street Pop-Up Program are moving into once-vacant storefronts on the busy Over-the-Rhine street.
The program was pitched to the City of Cincinnati a few months ago as a way to reduce crime.
"Filling those businesses and those storefronts really creates a safer environment because there's just more people around," said Joe Rudemiller, vice president of marketing and communications for 3CDC.
One of the first four tenants to sign a lease as part of this program is Amari Samya, who owns Selfie Cincy.
"I've been traveling a lot and I was able to go to different cities like New York City, Chicago, L.A., Las Vegas and they all had these selfie museums," she said.
So she started working to create Selfie Cincy.
"We wanted to add a twist to it, so Selfie Cincy, specifically, we cater towards businesses that are in Cincinnati, Ohio," Samya said.
She said they partner with different businesses to create the different selfie rooms, which will change periodically.
Right now the businesses they're partnering with are smaller, but Samya said she hopes to partner with the Cincinnati Bengals, Reds and FC Cincinnati.
The other three businesses with signed leases for the Main St. Pop-Up Program include:
- Hello Beautiful, a clothing boutique
- i75 Sumitt Club, where you can buy, sell and trafe shoes and clothes
- Thee Make-Up Room, a make-up salon
The program opens up applications from local entrepreneurs and businesses for short-term leases in currently vacant storefronts on Main Street.
3CDC said they're working to fill 25 to 30 of them.
They then work to match the right businesses with the right locations and provide financial assistance in some cases.
"Some small businesses struggle with buildout costs for instance. It's really a case-by-case basis in terms of what business kind of needs financial assistance," Rudemiller said.
They then work out a three-month to one-year lease, with the opportunity later to move to a longer-term lease.
Rudemiller said they're still accepting applications for the program. For more information, click here.
