For business owners along Warrenton’s Main Street corridor, getting some new neighbors is a top priority.

Stacey Blondin, president of the Warrenton Downtown Association (WDA), said 29 percent of storefronts downtown are currently vacant. But with the help of local schools, community groups and a statewide economic development program, WDA is looking to drop that number by at least one store.

“(We received) a storefront activation grant from Missouri Main Street Connection. It is specifically to bring a business into an empty storefront,” Blondin said. 

Warrenton was one of two communities awarded the $3,500 grant to help turn an empty storefront into a mocked-up version of a business they hope will one day occupy the space. The funding can also be used for marketing to draw in propspective business owners.

Blondin said the funding will be the seed for a project involving many Warrenton community groups. In particular, high school students involved in business, marketing and the arts will have a large role to play.

Their task will be to market the building at 206 Main Street as an early childhood center. That includes crafting play spaces for young children that will be like a fun-sized version of downtown.

There’s no guarantee that sort of business will end up there, but it’s something Blondin said the area needs.

“We used data ... to figure out what needs to be down here,” Blondin explained. “The data told us we have a (younger) average age group of families with kids who are spending their money outside of Warrenton for entertainment.”

Getting school groups, churches and community clubs invested in helping provide those kinds of lacking services and bring life back to the downtown area has been a focus of the WDA.

“The more people who know about our vacancies and opportunities down here, the better,” commented WDA marketing chair Maggie Hase. 

And each time WDA is able to market a store location, the group hopes to bring more of that attention to the downtown as a whole.

Blondin said WDA is going after other grants to help improve the downtown area, as well as developing its own program to help struggling property owners repair the exterior of their buildings. 

“We haven’t quite mapped out what the criteria will be, but we’re setting up a committee right now so we can give out a couple grants,” Blondin said.

Those who want to see Main Street thriving again know it could be years before they realize their goal of dropping that 29-percent vacancy down to zero. But they’re encouraged by the progress they’ve already seen.

“I was pulling out of (work), and I stopped, got out of my car and took a picture,” Hase said. “It was evening, and you could see cars up and down the entire road. I literally had a tear in my eye. We’ve got some great businesses that have moved in.”

Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter praised WDA for its work, and said city call will be an ongoing partner in its mission.

“The city is committed in support of the efforts of the WDA to revitalize our downtown area. Their dedicated members continue to work diligently in gaining knowledge from the MO Main Street Connection and pursuing grant opportunities as a part of their efforts to assist in fulfilling their goals,” Schleuter said. “We will continue to provide support and resources to assist with this mutually beneficial effort.”