Driven toward a new vision for downtown Rock Falls
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| Eric Arduini is moving his Silicon Wrench business from his home to 107 W. Second St. in downtown Rock Falls. He said it was the right time to move, for its proximity to the planned riverfront development. “That spot may not be prime retail now,” he said, “but it is going to be.” (Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com) |
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ROCK FALLS – Is the city doing enough to keep downtown looking beautiful and encouraging business owners to take care of their properties?
That’s a topic raised this week by Alderman Daehle Reitzel at Rock Falls’ City Council meeting.
Reitzel, who owns Wheelock Furniture, highlighted a handful of positive accomplishments of local businesses in Rock Falls in recent weeks and months. But he said he wants leaders to more actively encourage business owners to take care of their properties.
Success stories
One of the businesses Reitzel cited is The Silicon Wrench, which is owned and operated by Eric Arduini, eldest grandson of Tony Arduini.
Eric Arduini, 38, of Rock Falls, operated the business out of his home for 4 years before deciding to move to 107 W. Second St.
Arduini said it was the right time for a move. He chose the spot on West Second for its proximity to the planned downtown riverfront development.
“I think I can get in now at a better rate and price than I will be able to in the near future when it starts developing,” he said. “That spot may not be prime retail now, but it is going to be.”
Arduini also capitalized on his business’s location. It’s just one storefront away from First Avenue and West Second Street, which is the most highly trafficked intersection in Whiteside County, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
He hopes to have his storefront open by March 1. At least for the first year, he will be the only employee. Depending on how business goes, he will decide whether he needs more help.
Business has “been really good so far,” he said. “The month of February is starting off really well.”
He has been a member of the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce for 3 years. He sought help from the chamber when he was considering moving his business.
Good Times Pizza is another success story. The restaurant recently moved to 110 W. Second St., from 209 Second Ave.
Manager Bonnie Bauser, of Sterling, said the new location is decorated nicely and was painted before she moved in.
Bauser said construction in the area had slowed business a little.
“I think overall it’s going to be good,” she said. “More people will be out and about.”
Good Times Pizza hired no additional employees when it moved to the new location. But Bauser said being near development might mean additional business in the future.
“That should help out,” she said. “It’s going to look a lot better, make people more positive about town.”
The chamber’s role
Doug Wiersema is president and CEO of the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce. He said Silicon Wrench and Good Times are two examples of the movement he is seeing downtown.
He said he was glad to see action along West Second Street in Rock Falls. A lot of that has to do with the brand new street on East Second, he said.
“When the new road went in along the riverfront and people saw potential, that sparked interest in the riverfront and West Second Street, no doubt about it,” he said.
The chamber uses a variety of methods to support a positive business environment, he said.
One of them is a front door start-up program. The program, free of charge, is available to anyone who might consider opening a business in the area.
Prospective business owners meet with Wiersema to discuss what it takes to get started. He uses a 35-point questionnaire that targets what a business is looking for.
The chamber also provides a way for already existing businesses to grow or expand.
“We employ something that is called economic gardening,” Wiersema said. “How can we grow the businesses that are already here? Basically, what is your customer profile? That’s the whole key.
“If the business owner comes in and says, ‘Things are really slow,’ my first question is, What’s your customer profile?”
If a business cannot identify its customer profile, that’s a problem, Wiersema said.
The chamber is a strong proponent of businesses using social media, such as Facebook and other online web presences.
“I pound my fist on the table if you don’t have that,” he said.
What the city is doing
Mayor David Blanton questioned who should be responsible for maintaining downtown beautification projects.
“If we are going to put a bunch of planters, who is going to maintain those?” he said. “You have to fund that.”
He said the city is putting pressure on absentee owners to step up and maintain their properties. But it all takes time.
“We do as much as we can,” he said. “We have a building inspector. There are certain things you have to do.”
Alderman Glen Kuhlemier said the city can provide business owners with encouragement.
But the city can’t take care of everything, he said.
“I think that in this day and age, to expect the city to pony up more funds when we have these huge pension payments for fire and police, where’s the money going to come for all that?” Kuhlemier said.
He advocated the creation of a downtown business owners association.
“It doesn’t mean they have to spend a whole bunch,” he said. “If they were concerned about the trees, maybe they could come up with a solution.”
The answer may lie in a joint effort.
“When you stop and think about services that business areas get in forms of snow plowing, street repair, ... we do provide parking for businesses,” he said. “I think there is a bigger role for partnership that could happen. I don’t know where money for that would show or manpower.”
Get Involved
For more information on the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce's front door startup program, visit www.rockfallschamber.com or call 815-625-4500.
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