DOWNTOWN DIRECT

A Resource Guide for Historic Downtown Crawfordsville Business and Property Owners

We are here to help YOU!

The Crawfordsville Main Street (CMS) team is excited to welcome you and your business to Historic Downtown Crawfordsville! This resource guide will provide important information for you, your business, and/or your property.

If you're just getting started, have general questions, or encounter obstacles, you can contact us. If you are a new downtown business, check out the New Business section below for steps to make a successful start and connect to downtown.

You can also find city information here.

Welcome to Historic Downtown Crawfordsville

Located about 45 minutes from Indianapolis, Crawfordsville has many of the conveniences of a modern city with the feel of a historic small-town community. Our downtown boasts of many historic buildings, home of the Lew Wallace Study, Lane Place, and The Rotary Jail museum; contains pocket parks, beautiful flowers and landscaping; and offers plenty of shopping options and restaurants.

Crawfordsville Main Street's mission is to help keep downtown strong and appealing. We work to strategize healthy downtown development, encourage historic preservation efforts, market the downtown experience, plan and promote downtown events, support locally-owned businesses, and enhance and beautify public spaces. Learn more about CMS here.

NEXT STEPS FOR NEW BUSINESSES

1 | CONTACT THE CITY

Before you get too far into your building purchase or initial business planning, always contact the City Planning and Building Services Department. They can guide you through any zoning, permitting, or any historical district requirements for your building. Learn more in our Need to Know section of this resource guide.

2 | GET CUSTOMERS

Put customers in your store and attract attention by telling the neighbors that you are OPEN with a ribbon cutting (contact the Chamber of Commerce), an email to all your contacts, a press release, and social media posts.

Be sure to click the tabs above to read through this guide for more information, tools, and contacts to help your business thrive.

3 | GET CONNECTED

Connect with us at Crawfordsville Main Street. Email us here, or visit us in person on the fourth floor of Fusion 54 | 101 W Main St., Suite 415 | Crawfordsville, IN 47933. We love to share posts on our socials from local businesses.

Consider joining the Chamber of Commerce and attending their Breakfast Before Business or Business Buzz gatherings for great networking opportunities. Also, let the Visitors Bureau know you're in town.

4 | STAY INFORMED

Stay up to date on events in Crawfordsville through Yodel. Also, be sure to check out our Downtown Annual Events, First Fridays, and Lunch on the Plaza pages.

Finally, learn more about your neighbors through our Brick & Mortar Backstory articles.

5 | ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY

Everyone can be a part of shaping the culture of Historic Downtown Crawfordsville. Contact us to learn how you can get involved by volunteering for an event or making an impact through one of our committees or other organizations that are making a difference in Crawfordsville.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

Crawfordsville Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

https://www.crawfordsvillechamber.com | 765-362-6800

The Chamber of Commerce offers networking, business promotion, educational workshops, and more.

Montgomery County Visitors Bureauhttps://www.visitmoco.com | 765-362-5200

When starting a new business contact the Visitors Bureau. They will advertise your business on their website and Facebook page and your special events on their Events page. They also have a welcome gift for you!

Doing Business in the City of Crawfordsville

https://www.crawfordsville.in.gov/101/Work-Here | 765-364-5160

When starting a new business or looking for information on doing business in Crawfordsville, a great place to start is the City of Crawfordsville's website.

Take a look at Main Street America's Small Business Resources Page

LEARN MORE

Downtown Exterior Rehabilitation Grant Program

Download the Guidelines Here | 765-364-5152

The Crawfordsville City Council established a downtown rehabilitation funding program for historic buildings located in the Crawfordsville Commercial Historic District.

DNR Historic Preservation Fund Grant Program

https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/financial-assistance/grants/

This program fosters historic preservation and archaeology activity by assisting projects that will aid the State in meeting its goals for cultural resource management. Applicants must be non-profit organizations, educational institutions, or local government agencies.

Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales Newsletter

https://www.in.gov/sos/about-sos/monthly-office-e-newsletter-sign-up/

Sign-up to receive helpful information from the Indiana Secretary of State office.

HOW BUSINESSES THRIVE IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN CRAWFORDSVILLE

A Solid Business Plan
Find a Mentor
Sustainable Capital
Marketing Strategy
Consistent Hours
Appropriate Products and Services for Audience

INBiz

https://inbiz.in.gov/BOS/Home/Index | 317-234-9768

INBiz is Indiana's one-stop source for registering and managing your business and ensuring it complies with state laws and regulations

Indiana Small Business Development Center

https://isbdc.org | 1-888-472-3244

The Indiana SBDC offers no-cost business advising, training, referrals, and a library of cultivated tools and resources to help businesses, from startup through sale or retirement, succeed.

IN.gov | Business Owner's Guide

https://www.in.gov/core/business_guide.html | 1-800-45-STATE

The Business Owner’s Guide describes Indiana’s requirements of various business entities, including licensing and permitting, tax matters, and employer responsibilities.

US Small Business Administration

https://www.sba.gov | 1-800-827-5722

SBA works to ignite change and spark action so small businesses can confidently start, grow, expand, or recover.

Indiana Landmarks | Resources

https://www.indianalandmarks.org/resources/ | 317-639-4534

Indiana Landmarks offers tools that help you, your community, organizations and individuals around the state preserve and restore historic places.

Crawfordsville Main Street | A&E Grant

https://www.crawfordsvillemainstreet.com/ae-grant

The Architecture & Engineering Grant (A&E) for conditions assessments on downtown historic properties is available through CMS. Contact Us for more details.

Better Business Bureau

https://www.bbb.org/all/business-resources

The BBB can help you with the many different aspects of running your business. Whether you’re looking to grow your business, learn something new, manage relationships with your customers, or more, you’re in the right place!

PERMITS & ORDINANCES

A great resource for understanding property usage is the City of Crawfordsville's Planning & Building Services Department. Take a look at their website to find a specific form or application. Also, don't hesitate to reach out to them directly to find answers to your questions.

ZONING | Is your desired use permitted in the downtown zoning district?
PERMITTING | Assistance is offered for permits for Change of Occupancy, construction or renovation, signs, awnings, or anything added to the front of your building or sidewalk.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION APPROVALS | If your property or business is in a local historic district, obtain the necessary Certificate of Appropriateness for any exterior changes or alterations. Also, obtain information about the Downtown Exterior Rehabilitation Grant Program and the Downtown Rehabilitation Loan Program.

Before applying for a license, moving locations, or changing your business, it is essential to verify that your business activity meets property zoning requirements. To ensure up-to-date information, contact the City Planning & Building Services Department. Also, it's wise to check with the City Fire Department to see if the new location and/or use complies with fire and building codes.

Are you serving food?

Be sure to check in with the Montgomery County Health Department to complete your New Plan Review and application and to learn more about the Indiana State food code and local requirements.

It's also a good idea to check out the city's ordinances. Below, we have compiled a few that we believe are going to be most helpful. You can see Crawfordsville's city ordinances in full here.

MOBILE FOOD VENDORS | Chapter 72

FIRE PREVENTION | Chapter 93

HUMAN RIGHTS | Chapter 94

NOISE | Chapter 95

STREETS & SIDEWALKS | Chapter 98

SALES OF FOOD | Chapter 116

RENTAL REGISTRATION & INSPECTION PROGRAM | Chapter 119

BUILDING CODE | Chapter 150

ZONING CODE | Chapter 153

• Zoning Districts explained

HISTORIC PRESERVATION | Chapter 154

SIDEWALK & STREETSCAPE STANDARDS | Chapter 155

BUSINESS BEST PRACTICES

Be a Good Neighbor
The downtown area is a unique environment that requires good neighborly practices. What you do DOES impact your neighbor. Your success is their success. Everyone is working toward the same goal. By helping each other, everyone is more successful.

Hours of Operation
Customers value consistency. Please display your hours of operation and have your business open during posted business hours. If you plan to close outside of your posted business hours please let your customers know via social media, website, phone message, etc.

Tips to Spread the Word about Your Business

Keep a business card that includes the name of your business, your name, business hours, contact numbers, e-mail address, social media information, and website information.
Start a guest book. Encourage interested customers to share their e-mail address and/or phone number so they can be contacted about new products and services, sales, and downtown events.
Start a website to represent your business. Business websites give your business a more professional look than a simple Facebook page. A website can give customers more detailed information about your business and can also be an effective marketing tool. Check out this Main Street America webinar for more help.
Network on Social Media. Websites such as Facebook and Instagram can be a great place to network and provide information to customers quickly and often. These sites are user-friendly, simple to maintain, and can be updated as often as you’d like to send information to your customers.
Set your site up in Google Search Console & Google Business Profile. They're free, and since most people search for products and services online, you can’t afford not to be there! Here is another helpful Main Street America webinar on this subject.
Send information about activities, specials, and events to pres@crawfordsvillemainstreet.com for cross promotion.
Submit your business events to the city's interactive calendar on YODEL.
Word of mouth is an often overlooked, but a very important form of marketing. Customers who do business with you will share their experience with their social circle, so be sure the information they pass along is positive by providing a quality experience.

MAINTAINING YOUR BUSINESS

Patrons prefer establishments that appear clean, safe, and professional. Help keep downtown vibrant and active by following the suggestions below.

Maintenance

Remove trash and debris and sweep and/or hose down sidewalk area on a daily basis.
Keep upper floor windows clear of clutter.
Conduct regular upkeep procedures such as painting the interior and exterior.
Clean and clear windows help promote your business. Make sure to clean windows and glass doors on a regular basis. Please promptly repair cracked windows.
Keep storefront windows from becoming cluttered. Display products in the window that tell customers what your store has to offer. Visual merchandising is an effective tool to increase sales!

Trash

Keep trash receptacles from public view and pedestrian areas. If it is necessary to place the receptacles in a pedestrian area for pick up, please remove them as soon as possible after pick up.
Help prevent pollution of downtown by keeping chemicals, used grease, excess construction materials, and cleaning wastes out of floor and storm drains and off of paved areas.

Awnings

Conduct regular upkeep on your awnings - clean and repair tears.
If installing awnings, be sure to install ones that complement your façade to provide a clean appearance. New awnings require Board of Works approval - Contact Planning & Building Services Department.

Signs

Be sure your business name and address are clearly labeled on the front door or façade windows.
Displaying store hours helps encourage your customers to return to your business.

Graffiti

Property owners are responsible for removal of graffiti. Please remove ASAP.
Here is a great article on how to remove graffiti on historic buildings.

Snow & Ice

The city will remove snow and ice from the streets.
Please do not block other parking spaces or walkways with snow.
The city will not remove snow and ice from your sidewalks and driveways, so please do so as soon as possible. You may also contract with a private snow removal service.