One of Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. (DECI)’s  goals is to strengthen downtown’s existing assets and increase its potential by growing the downtown business community. We are very proud of all the businesses that make it a vibrant and thriving part of our city, but are always looking for new entrepreneurs. Every year DECI organizes Jump-Start Downtown Business Competition that awards up to $5,000 in start-up capital for a new business to locate downtown. Applications for Jump-Start are accepted through the end of May, but during the rest of the year there are many other resources to assist businesses in locating downtown.

And why should you locate downtown? There are many reasons why companies like RCU, Luther Midlefort, Harmon Solutions Group, and Leader Telegram choose downtown as their main location. Downtown is easily accessible: the bus transfer center is located here and newly installed bike racks make it easy for outdoor lovers, plenty of parking is available to downtown businesses through monthly parking passes.

Small retail businesses choose downtown for the built-in foot traffic. 23% of Eau Claire’s workforce is employed by the 528 downtown businesses. That means there are 7,160 downtown employees who are always looking for a place nearby to eat, shop, or get products and services. Weekends are filled with those that love outdoors and Farmer’s Market goers. Festivals and special events bring downtown more then 35,000 attendees annually.

Special Events Traffic:

Farmers Market	7,000 attendees/week	May-Oct
Open Air Festival of the Arts (OAFA)	5,000 attendees	June 12-13, 2010
“Sounds Like Summer” Concert Series	800 attendees/week	June-August
Taste of Eau Claire	10,000 attendees	June 20, 2010
Summerfest Festival	10,000 attendees	August 14, 2010
International Fall Festival	25,000 attendees	September 18, 2010
Trick or Treating Downtown	2,000 attendees	October 29, 2010
Christmastime in the City	500 attendees	December 4, 2010

Major Pedestrian Traffic Generators

L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library	39,000 people/month
Luther Midelfort Hospital	26,000 patients/month
YMCA	13,500 people/month
Children’s Museum	4,500 people/month
US Bank Building	3,000 people/month
Ramada Convention Center	1,900 rooms booked/month
State Theater	100,000/year
Chippewa Valley Theater Guild	15,000-20,000/year
Eau Claire Children’s Theatre	17 shows per season

The exciting new mixed use development downtown and investments that are pouring in create a lot of press and increase the popularity of downtown as a place to live, work and play.