DANVILLE, Va. â A new and used bookshop will soon make its home in Danvilleâs River District, thanks to grant assistance from the River District Associationâs Dream Launch program.
Catherine Carter, owner of The Dog-Eared Page, completed the Dream Launch business bootcamp and pitch competition, where she received $25,000 to reach her goal of opening a bookstore downtown.
Carterâs idea of a bookstore came from a makeshift book club her coworkers made at Riverside Health and Rehab. During the pandemic, they enjoyed reading, suggesting and discussing books with one another and thought it would be nice to have a place to meet for their book club. They thought it would be even nicer to have a bookstore in the city, since there is currently no dedicated store.Â
Rev Up boosts four local businesses to the tune of $50k wbtmdanville.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wbtmdanville.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chamber announces four awards in first Entrepreneur Pitch Competition
DANVILLE, Va. â The Danville-Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce has awarded four businesses a total of $50,000 to open or expand their businesses in Danville and Pittsylvania County.Â
Rev Up Danville Pittsylvania was built on the River District Associationâs (RDA) Dream Launch Program, in partnership with the Dan River Region Entrepreneur Ecosystem (DRREE). Dream Launch is a multi-phase entrepreneur engagement program including a five-week boot camp, offered to the public at no cost.
Those interested in locating or expanding their business in Pittsylvania County or in the City of Danville, outside of the River District, attended the Dream Launch boot camp, and participants who completed the boot camp were eligible to pitch for Rev Up grant funding.Â
Just one day prior to the reopening of her nutrition store on Piney Forest Road after a year-long shutdown during the pandemic, owner Tia Macklin was awarded a grant to help fund a second location of The Ramp Nutrition, one that would continue the mission of creating a healthier, happier Danville.
Macklin was chosen as one of three of the River District Associationâs Dream Launch Pitch Competition winners, receiving $15,000 for the location.
âThis is a great location, but Iâm missing an entire market by not being on the other side of town,â Macklin said. âI want something small that will be close to the trail so we can cater to the fitness community. We want to do walk-a-thons and boot camps so I thought that would be the perfect location.â