Updates from the Office of Economic Development

Alakazam Toys and Gifts Opens Pop-up Shop

Alakazam has momentarily left its current location at 100 East Main Street for a new temporary home at 407B East Main Street, next to Lynne Goldman Elements. The store’s current space is undergoing an extensive renovation that should take 8 weeks. The new pop up shop should be open next week for customers so stop by to check it out!

Charlottesville Ale Trail Launches Contactless Passport

All six City-based breweries have partnered with Storyware, a local strategy and development firm, to create a paperless passport for customers seeking to visit each brewery. Storyware has designed the passport to allow a digital version of the popular paper passport. Customers can now get a ‘stamp’ by scanning a QR code at each location or through a geo-location enabled check-in. The 2.3-mile walkable trail has seen a large uptick in the number of completed passports since the digital launch in March.

Dairy Market Brings LOVE to Charlottesville

The Dairy Market will host Virginia Tourism’s life-sized LOVE artwork from Saturday, April 17 to Sunday, April 25 on the market’s front patio as part of a state and local partnership to promote Virginia tourism. The Dairy Market opened its doors in December 2020 as central Virginia’s first market hall and currently includes ten merchants offering various cuisines. Stop by and take a picture and share on social media with #LOVEVA.

Website Jump Start Accepting Applications

The City and County Offices of Economic Development are supporting a CVSBDC pilot program to help with the creation of simple websites for businesses that don’t have them. The goal is to drive business profitability, allowing the businesses to invest in larger web development needs in the future, if needed. The websites will be built at no cost to the business owner. For more information and the application, click HERE.

Second Round of GO Express Training Series

The Downtown Job Center is launching the second round of virtual, mini classes that are free and open to the public. These classes are designed to enhance professional or personal development. Upon completion of each course, participants will earn a certificate.

Web Coding 101: An Intro to HTML and CSS – April 19^th through April 23^rd from 4pm - 6pm: PREREGISTER

Social Media Marketing 101 – April 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th from 9am – 12pm: PREREGISTER

Upcoming Webinars from CVSBCC

CV SBDC is a team of business and technical experts available to listen, advise and assist entrepreneurs, confidentially and free of charge. They offer 1:1 assistance, connection to curated research, access to technical experts and professionals, and timely events and training.

QuickBooks Online Tips & Tricks - April 20th at 10am: PREREGISTER

The Benefits of SWaM Certification – April 22^nd at 10am: PREREGISTER

Pitch Preview Events – April 29^th at 12pm - PREREGISTER