ASHLAND — One of Main Street’s iconic buildings will look a little differently later this summer.
Julie Mitchell, owner of Fig & Oak at 100 W. Main St., applied for a $10,000 through Main Street America and American Express in March.
There were 5,000 applicants across the nation; 500 recipients were awarded. Fig & Oak was one of them.
Mitchell said she will use the money to repaint the building’s exterior — turret, mural and all.
She said the final color will be a surprise, but painters should be able to start sometime in August in order to finish by the September deadline.
The project is something that’s been on Mitchell’s radar since moving to the Main Street location five years ago. When they moved in, Mitchell and her husband — John — spent a few months renovating the old space.
“We tore out the ceiling and walls and found the original character. That’s when we discovered the tin ceilings and woodwork,” she said.
Since then, the Mitchells have bought the building. They rent out the apartment above the shop to Julie Mitchell’s sister. Painting the outside has been the next task.
Mitchell has gathered quotes for exterior paint for a few years. The building’s turret makes it a unique job. And it’s expensive.
“We’ll still have to come up with the other half. It’s a big project that we’re not able to undertake on our own. So we’re definitely grateful for the grant,” she said.
The wings mural along Church Street will be covered temporarily. But Mitchell hopes to incorporate another mural at some point.
“It’s such a huge, awesome wall to have public art — so we’ll do something,” she said.
The grant program
There were 34 businesses awarded the grant in Ohio, including Local Roots Market and Cafe in Wooster and several others located in Cleveland and Columbus.
The grant program, dubbed Backing Small Businesses, has awarded more than $9 million to 1,180 owners in the U.S. since 2021.
“American Express and Main Street America initially created the grant program to help economically vulnerable small business owners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their businesses,” reads an excerpt found on the website.
There are requirements to be eligible for grants, including being in a “brick-and-mortar” location and “operate in an older or historic main street, downtown, or commercial district in the United States.”
Main Street America will choose another 25 small businesses who received the initial $10,000 grant for an additional $30,000 “enhancement grant.”
‘Super awesome’
Sandra Tunnell, director of Ashland Main Street, said there are opportunities at the state and local level for similar grants. But Fig & Oak, she said, is the first recipient of a national grant like this.
“So that’s super awesome,” Tunnell said.
Ashland Main Street is affiliated with the Ohio Main Street Program. It is overseen by Heritage Ohio, and is part of Main Street America and the National Main Street Center.
Members of Ashland Main Street get semi-regular emails about grant programs like the one Fig & Oak received.
“That’s one of the benefits of being downtown and on Main Street. There are lots of opportunities like this and people recognize that owning these old buildings is hard work,” she said.
Ashland Main Street has started its own endowment fund with the Ashland County Community Foundation to be able to launch its own grant program, which would fund small improvement projects.
“That’s the next big step,” she said. Many of the businesses located in downtown Ashland are located in older buildings, which could have asbestos insulation and lead paint. Tackling those projects are costly, Tunnell said.
For now though, businesses in the downtown district should look out for grant opportunities from Main Street America, Heritage Ohio and other affiliates. Even the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce has had a similar opportunity for for-profit businesses, she said.
About Fig & Oak
Julie Mitchell founded Fig & Oak in 2018, when they operated out of a smaller location with her parents, sister and children.
They moved to the turret building along Main Street in 2019, with plans to renovate the space and then buy it. They purchased the building in 2022 for $125,000.
Since opening, Mitchell has hired three part-time employees to help operate the shop, which features gift items. Browse and shop from its online store here.
Mitchell is planning a six-year birthday party on July 27. Find out more here.