Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $750,000 in Downtown Revive & Thrive grants to support nine building renovation projects across Kansas including one in Yates Center.. When matched with more than $286,000 in local contributions, a total investment of over $1 million will be used to create spaces for business incubators.
“Rural Kansas has plenty of historic and underused buildings that have potential to create new economic opportunities for communities,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Through Revive & Thrive, we’re able to take established, unused infrastructure and give our rural entrepreneurs a place to flourish and bring their visions to life.”
Yates Center’s Waymire Marketplace awarded $95,000, will operate as an artisan-focused incubator featuring shared retail, pop-up space and small studios for makers and small-batch producers. The space will support product launches, business growth and increased downtown activity.
Demand is rising throughout Kansas for flexible spaces that allow entrepreneurs to test products, develop commercial concepts and pilot new ventures. In response, Commerce launched the Revive and Thrive program to support those endeavors by transforming vacant and underutilized buildings into accessible, modern and sustainable workspaces.
The Downtown Revive & Thrive program is designed to support projects that repurpose existing infrastructure to create spaces and provide equipment for business incubators, pop-up retail and restaurants, and innovative concepts that drive growth and contribute to vibrancy in communities. The program is administered by the Office of Rural Prosperity of the Kansas Department of Commerce.
