Owning the Storefront

For brick-and-mortar Main Street business, rent is a huge expense. Commercial leases can be complicated and a landlord can raise the rent or decide to sell. But what if more Main Street businesses could own their buildings? This can be a way for them to control their fate, possibly earn additional income, and build generational wealth. The likely stability and community commitment from business owners who are also property owners can also be very beneficial to Main Street revitalization efforts. But the more Main Street managers can understand what this really means for small businesses, the better we can support them.

Main Street RI is thrilled to be partnering with Local Return, a RI organization dedicated to building community wealth, including through property ownership. Join us and Local Return’s Josh Daly for a “book club discussion” based on a series of articles from Storefront Revolt, a blogger and small business owner in Washington State who has been helping the Main Street movement better understand and improve their approach to the topic. Read the linked posts ahead of time for an interactive discussion session and then learn about the new Anchor the Block program Local Return is launching to help businesses explore building ownership here in RI.