Main Street Makeovers to take place this spring in Ellsworth, Mayville

MADISON, WI. NOV. 16, 2023 – Two downtown businesses have been named as winners in the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s (WEDC’s) annual Main Street Makeover Contest. The businesses will receive personalized assistance and up to $10,000 to make interior or exterior design changes.

YB Urban? of Ellsworth and Link’s Martial Arts of Mayville will spend the next several months working with Main Street staff and consultants from RetailWorks, Inc. a Milwaukee-based interior design firm, on a renovation plan, followed by a 24-hour transformation event in the spring.

The new and improved business spaces will be formally unveiled during a public celebration featuring state and local officials.

Based on the popular reality show concept, established businesses located in one of the state’s 35 Wisconsin Main Street and 83 Connect Communities had the opportunity to nominate themselves for a “makeover” that will take place in the spring of 2024. All eligible businesses that submitted applications for the competition will receive technical assistance from the Main Street team to help achieve their goals and enhance their business.

Here are the details on the winners:

YB Urban?, Ellsworth – YB Urban was started in 2013 by owner Angela Esler-Whelan as a home-based business, selling handcrafted soap and skincare online and at local markets. When the local chamber launched a holiday popup shop in 2019, she applied and was accepted, and YB Urban the shop was born. The store currently offers over 50 different proprietary formulas of personal care items and cleaning products. Esler-Whelan said she hopes the makeover can help reconfigure the space to maximize retail opportunities, accommodate classes and events and draw attention to the business’s location in an emerging retail district near the Ellsworth Creamery.

Link’s Martial Arts, Mayville – A former police officer, Daniel Link started Link’s Martial Arts in Mayville more than 30 years ago. While consistently offering high quality martial arts instruction, the studio has evolved to offer classes such as cardio kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do and Little Ninja classes, including virtual classes during the pandemic. With the makeover, the hope is to refresh the storefront and interior space to increase visibility and awareness and welcome a new generation of students into the studio.

Now in its eighth year, the Main Street Makeover Contest is an initiative of the Wisconsin Main Street Program, a comprehensive revitalization program overseen by WEDC and designed to promote the historic and economic redevelopment of traditional business districts in Wisconsin. The contest is designed to raise awareness of the Wisconsin Main Street Program and Connect Communities Program, which are the two downtown revitalization initiatives overseen by WEDC. The programs provide support and training for communities and organizations dedicated to downtown revitalization efforts. The Makeover programs are just one example of many programs designed to foster business and community engagement and showcase the businesses that bring life to downtown districts.