Revitalization
ENCOURAGING A VIBRANT NEW WILMINGTON
EDCOM has adopted a vision to foster and promote a vibrant New Wilmington that includes a thriving College, an attractive, welcoming, and successful business district. and other venues for the community and visitors to enjoy musical and artistic expression. To that end we have invested our time and resources into the following particular projects:
Fresh Marketplace is our farmer’s market with local vendors, live music, and farm to table grill.
Gather your lawn chair or blanket, bring a snack, and join us as we experience life together on the hill.
This fun, family-friendly bicycle ride provides delicious donuts and funds for community programming.
FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT PROGRAM
We believe the next step in revitalization efforts needs to be directed towards the business district. EDCOM has instituted a grant program to improve building façades and the overall look of Market Street. Attractive, welcoming, and interesting store fronts will indicate a vibrant town and draw people into to shops and stores – and will also perk the interest of potential tenants.
We are intending to make New Wilmington not just a lovely home for its residents, but a destination for travelers to stay, shop, eat, and experience all that makes New Wilmington the special community it is.
EDCOM’s Investment
- Purchased and installed new benches and planters along Market Street
- Raised almost $400,000 from local businesses and individuals to fund a facade improvement project
- Worked with a local architect and developed a cohesive theme for facade renovation for buildings along Market Street
- Developed a grant process for building owners to jumpstart the Facade Improvement Initiative
Others are Investing in New Wilmington
- Westminster College invested more than $45 million in the last 5 years in campus and program upgrades
- Le Chic Boutique and Mona’s Chocolates who make and sell handmade soaps and chocolates opened in the 2021
- New Wilmington Nutrition offering nutritional drinks opened in the Summer of 2022
- Pulse, a new coffee shop, opened in the Fractured Grape/Hop Asylum complex in Summer 2022
- The Inn on Market opened in July 2022 joining other boutique stays in the area to offer accommodations to travelers and visitors to New Wilmington
- 101 West Vine, a gift shop and boutique, opened in Fall 2022
- Small Circles, a community-based bookstore, with a focus on affordable used books for everyone opened in Fall 2022
- Bakluva opened in Spring 2023 and is a great place to grab lunch, gelato, and of course their delicious homemade baklava
- The Tavern sold in July 2022, is undergoing significant renovation, and planning to reopen in Fall 2023
- Another new restaurant is expected to open on Market Street in the Fall of 2023
There is a new energy in town.
Entrepreneurs and community investors see the potential here and so do we. New Wilmington’s future is bright – let’s make it beautiful too.
