Business Incubator Looking For New Tenant

 

It’s called the business incubator, a place to give new business a chance to start.

 

Now that one of the tenants has left, what’s the future of the space?

 

This is a fairly new project that’s been around for about the last 3 years. 

 

The city expects to find someone to fill that vacant space pretty fast. 

 

Just a few months ago, Charlie’s Donuts renewed its lease after a year in the downtown business incubator. 

 

But the business has now packed up and left town, leaving an opportunity for someone else to move in. 

 

“Charlies Donuts tried out their concept and renewed their lease for a few months, but then decided they weren’t ready to move into a permanent place downtown, so they moved on,” said Lois Cortell.

 

Cortell with the department of development has kept a close eye on the project.

 

The city is very selective about what kind of businesses it wants in the space, no franchises or shops that could compete with others in the area. 

 

Cortell says there’s already been a lot of interest in the location. 

 

“It’s exciting, I think it’s a great indicator of of the success downtown and the revitalization and people are really feeling it and they’re seeing it and businesses are ready to take a risk. We’ve gotten a number of calls, we’ve got a flyer on our website,” said Cortell.

 

It’s an idea that some in the downtown area have really enjoyed, especially with the addition of the bullet food truck.

 

That’s what Kelly Moy would like to see more of.

 

“Another food spot. Another food like falafels or maybe, well we have pizza here, sandwiches, bagels,” said Moy.

 

“It’s been a great idea because there’s a lot of people, tourists from all over the world believe it or not coming all to Montgomery,” said Jose Perez. 

 

Cortell says the city wants to fill the space quickly and have a new tenant in by November. 

 

With all the development downtown, Cortell expects the incubator to last about one more year before the city sells the land to a more permanent business.