Downtown Sacramento Foundation Announces 2016 “Calling All Dreamers” Business Competition
Applications available now for download
SACRAMENTO, CA – Calling All Dreamers! The Downtown Sacramento Foundation (DSF) will soon accept proposals for downtown business concepts for the 4th Annual Calling All Dreamers competition. While completed applications will not be accepted until February 9, 2016, competition rules, key dates, and applications are available to download now at downtownsac.org to give contestants a head start on the application process. All proposals for the 2016 Calling All Dreamers competition must be submitted online and the deadline is March 29, 2016 at 5 p.m. After a review process and public voting period, the 2016 Calling All Dreamers winner will be announced in June 2016.
Each year, Calling All Dreamers contestants compete for a coveted business start-up package that is designed to provide the winner with essential resources and helpful tools needed to successfully launch a downtown storefront. In addition, DSF will help the winning entrepreneur navigate many of the challenges faced by many business owners during their first year in business.
“This is undeniably one of the most exciting times in Sacramento’s history to start a business in the urban core,” said Valerie Mamone Werder, DSP Senior Manager of Business Development. “The sky is the limit for entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas who can tap into the momentum and energy focused on downtown Sacramento.”
Economic development and small business growth is a top priority for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP), a Property Based Improvement District (PBID) focused on Downtown Sacramento and sister organization to the DSF. Since the annual Calling All Dreamers competition launched in 2013, DSF has helped 11 new businesses open in Downtown Sacramento. Some of the contestants of the annual Calling All Dreamers competition include the following: Andy’s Candy Apothecary, The Dailey Method, Ana Apple, Sun & Soil, Off the Chain Bike Bus Tours, Metro Juice, and Benjamin’s Shoes. To date, these locally owned businesses have leased more than 14,000 sf of retail space and created a minimum of 10 full-time and 35-part-time jobs.
Additionally, the 2015 Calling All Dreamers winner, Heather Wong of Allspicery, is slated to open in early 2016. Allspicery will be the first one-stop spice shop in Sacramento, offering a curated selection of spices, salts, teas, and proprietary house-made spice blends sourced from around the world. The shop will offer commonplace spices as well as obscure, hard-to-find ingredients. Spices will be sold whole or freshly ground in-house, making the shop a veritable candy store for foodies.
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About the Downtown Sacramento Foundation . The DSF is a sister organization to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. Established in 2011, this 501(c)3 organization is dedicated to fostering civic pride through the improvement of the social and physical environment of Downtown. The DSF provides much needed support to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) programs that provide elevated services for public space management and beautification, homeless outreach and public safety.
