City of Mayville receives $137,500 state grant to support redevelopment of nonprofit coffeehouse

MADISON, WI. FEB. 22, 2021 – The City of Mayville is receiving a $137,500 state grant to help renovate a building to be used for a coffeehouse in downtown Mayville.

The Community Development Investment (CDI) Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will support the first phase of renovations for the historical downtown building, which will be used by Mayville Open Door Inc. Mayville Open Door is looking to expand The Open Door Coffeehouse from its current location.

“A vibrant downtown is crucial to a city’s overall economic health and its quality of life, which is why one of WEDC’s top priorities is to support communities throughout the state as they invest in improving their business districts,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “This project will not only preserve a historical building and bring new business to downtown Mayville, but it will also serve as a gathering place and foster a sense of community.”

The proposed project is estimated to be completed in 2022 and will create three full-time equivalent jobs at the coffeehouse, as well as 100 construction jobs during the renovation.

“The City of Mayville welcomes The Open Door Coffeehouse on their new adventure in downtown Mayville,” said Mayor Rob Boelk. “We support and wish them the very best in the near future.”

Mayville Open Door purchased the historical building downtown and is planning a full renovation scheduled to be completed in three phases. The first phase of the project involves demolition and renovations of the interior first floor to make the space functional. The second and third phases include renovation of the second floor to hold a conference space and collaborative spaces, and installation of an elevator for improved accessibility to the second floor.

“We are so grateful for the continuous support from our community and WEDC,” said Amber Schraufnagel, president and founder of Mayville Open Door Inc. “We have been able to make a large impact on our community with our current resources, and we look forward to growing that impact in our new space.”

With this expansion, Mayville Open Door will be able to provide mentoring programs to the community at a larger space, allowing the group to serve more customers with expanded programming options. The new space will also allow the organization to purchase additional equipment and have more staff working at once to improve customer service.

According to Open Door and the city, the renovation of the property both inside and out will improve the appearance of Mayville’s Main Street, drawing more visitors to the downtown area. Renting out the second floor of the coffeehouse will provide a new community space to foster small business creation and growth.

“I’m proud to hear that Mayville was awarded a grant to expand the coffeehouse in a historic downtown building,” said state Rep. Mark Born. “It is an exciting opportunity and I look forward to watching them grow over the next year.”

Mayville Open Door is a nonprofit organization designed to prevent crises by teaching life skills and providing mentoring programs through The Open Door Coffeehouse. The programs bring mentors and participants together in a welcoming environment. Mayville Open Door served more than 2,000 people last year at its current location through more than100 different programs.

WEDC’s CDI Grant Program supports community development and redevelopment efforts, primarily in downtown areas. The matching grants are awarded based on the ability of applicants to demonstrate the economic impact of the proposed project, including public and private partnership development, financial need and use of sustainable downtown development practices.

From the program’s inception in 2013 through Sept. 30, 2020, WEDC has awarded nearly $26.7 million in CDI Grants to 87 communities for projects expected to generate more than $446 million in capital investment statewide.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.