MENDOTA – In February, the City of Mendota began hosting the Storefront Workshop Series.

The set of five workshops was designed to help business owners who have been in business for years, only a short time, or are not started yet but want to open soon, to help them with certain aspects of owning a consumer location.

Rosati's Pizza was the first site, the Elks Lodge held the second, Ziggie's Family Restaurant housed the third, Coffee Barn (although not open yet) was the location for the fourth on April 3, and the fifth and final workshop will be held at the Mendota Museum & Historical Society from 6-7:15 p.m. Thursday, April 21 at its 907 Washington St. building.

“They've been smaller groups, but everyone who has come has said it's great the city is offering the workshops,” said City of Mendota Project Director Annie Short. “The one we did on networking and learning about different businesses was very well received and it was asked to be brought back. We don't realize all of the businesses that are in town. It was a great way to figure out how to support each other and their services.

“It was good and I think we realized we do need to do more of those to help promote and support local business, shopping local, and making sure we're connecting and supporting each other business owners.”

The museum's workshop is going to be focused on marketing. The one held at the Coffee Barn was on storefront design and interior layout, while networking and the basics of how to start a business have also been taught and learned.

There is either a presenter to guide the business resource or the group of attendees share ideas and stories to help each other.

“The goal was to get people interested in the workshops. We'll take a break over the summer. In the fall, I think we'll do the networking workshop again because it was a request,” Short said. “We've talked about doing some business academies for people to come and network together locally. As we get more businesses, we'll see what the need is.

“We'll probably do more of these series because it's important to connect people and have them network to share and/or use resources. As we see what we need to research, we'll find experts and rely on our local experts.”

The Coffee Barn and Sports N Stuff and More have improved their storefront appearances with the help of the Facade Grant, which is available to apply for through the City of Mendota.

The Mendota Museum & Historical Society has also applied, has been approved, and will use it soon.

“The front of the Coffee Barn was in conjunction with the Facade Grant, which is something the City of Mendota offers businesses where they can get up to a $7,000 dollar-for-dollar match,” Short said. “It's not a lot, but every little bit helps. We really want our businesses to look nice on the outside.

“It gives people good feelings, good vibes when they're driving through town if things look nice. It also goes back to the brand you're trying to share with your business. If the building looks like it's falling apart, people may not be as willing to go inside. If it looks really nice and pretty, people want to check it out.”