Gov. Bev Perdue today announced two North Carolina communities, Salisbury and Lenoir, will receive Main Street Solutions Fund grants for $241,000.
These two awards will leverage an additional $521,084 in public and private investments. The small businesses benefitting from these investments will create or retain a minimum of 20 permanent full-time and 12 part-time jobs.
Awardees are the city of Salisbury, Downtown Salisbury, The Perfect Smoke. The name of the project is Downtown Salisbury Inc. Revolving Loan Fund.
This project will include the rehabilitation of an 1,800 square foot Victorian home located at 213 S. Lee St. in Downtown Salisbury. The former residence will house a cigar shop titled A Perfect Smoke and will create two full-time employees. The rehabilitation is in the Fisher Street Entertainment District and will compliment and strengthen the existing businesses.
• Total project cost: $124,380
• Total public and private investment: $82,961
• Grant award: $41,419.
“Main Streets are the heart of small town North Carolina. We must continue to support the revitalization of these areas, while helping local small businesses to grow and create jobs,” said Perdue. “These grants will provide the spark that can ignite growth and economic recovery.”
The Main Street Solutions Fund was created by Gov. Perdue and is administered by the Community Development Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce. The Fund is used to support local small businesses in small towns and cities throughout North Carolina through urban revitalization and historic preservation.
This is the second and final round of grants in 2011. In April, grants were awarded to seven communities: Benson, Kinston, Goldsboro, Burnsville, Highlands, Sylva and Newton.