Thyme & Spice Co. of Burlington Wins Pitch Contest for Main Street Businesses
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Staci Hupp Ballard
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Thyme & Spice Co. of Burlington Wins Pitch Contest for Main Street Businesses
Small businesses in Avoca, Corning, Marion, and Nevada also take home awards
August 5, 2024 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) — Thyme & Spice Co. in Burlington topped four competitors in a statewide pitch contest in Cedar Rapids on Monday evening. Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts received $50,000 in state grants after successfully pitching their expansion ideas before a panel of judges, part of the final round of Main Street Iowa’s Open 4 Business contest.
The awards were presented by Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority.
"Everyone deserves to go home a winner tonight," Durham said. "These incredible business plans reaffirm the importance of our Main Street programs, which serve as a conduit for small business growth and retention and play a crucial role in making our communities places where people want to visit and live."
Travis and Ashlyn Long, who opened Thyme & Spice Co. in 2021, won a $20,000 grant to expand their modern version of a spice and tea shop. They plan to use the money to introduce a refill program for their line of olive oils and vinegars. Customers can sample products before they buy, and empty bottles can be exchanged at the store for a discount on their next purchase.
“We love bringing new flavors to our community, but owning a small business is hard,” Ashlyn Long told the judges. “Big-box stores can't offer you the type of experience we can.”
Other winners and their awards include:
- First runner-up, Goldfinch Tap + Eatery, Marion, $10,000.
- First runner-up, Holtz Service & Small Engine, Avoca, $10,000.
- Second runner-up, BlueMoon Holistic Wellness, Nevada, $5,000.
- Second runner-up, Corning Family Chiropractic, Corning, $5,000.
Read more about the five finalists.
Thyme & Spice Co. earned another $1,000 for People’s Choice, selected by audience vote. The additional category, sponsored by the event’s host city of Cedar Rapids and The District: Czech Village & New Bohemia, was introduced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Open 4 Business.
“This is a room full of doers and dreamers,” said Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell. “Here in Cedar Rapids, I like to think of us as a magnet for entrepreneurs. Welcome is our language — it's not just the welcoming of people from other places; it really is the welcoming of ideas that come from all over.”
This year’s contest drew 20 applicants. Of those, 12 were invited to interview virtually with a panel of judges, who then selected five finalists.
On Monday, each finalist had five minutes to present their ideas to the following state-level judges: Lisa Shimkat of America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa; Vada Grantham of Des Moines Area Community College; Kaitlin Byers of Kiva Iowa at Cedar Rapids’ NewBoCo; and Eric Meeter of Pressed, a hand-stamped and hammered jewelry boutique in Spencer and the 2020 Open 4 Business winner.
Open 4 Business supports growth and expansion of existing small businesses in the more than 50 Main Street Iowa communities. In the past decade, the program has awarded dollars to more than 45 businesses.
The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs.
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