New Option for Investing in Manchester's Future

In the wake of a presentation held in December regarding Manchester's potential for future retail and business growth, many questions have emerged and much discussion has transpired among residents.

One question may sum up local curiosity: What could Manchester look like in five years if significantly supported by local capital?

Reconsider and Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) are announcing the launch of venture LOCAL--a local investing awareness, education, and engagement campaign designed to accelerate investment in locally-owned businesses across Washtenaw County.

The venture LOCAL campaign includes multiple elements that have been rolled out over the past several months. Community gatherings have been held in Ann Arbor, Dexter, Saline, and Ypsilanti, and are planned for Chelsea, Milan and Manchester. Local investor trainings are also being scheduled in Ann Arbor and Chelsea. The campaign is providing investment readiness training scholarships for local enterprises, and reaching out to the faith community, as well as local entrepreneurs.

The county-wide venture LOCAL campaign is designed for community members who are interested in investing locally, for new and growing businesses (and retiring owners) who are interested in raising capital, for community leaders and officials interested in innovative economic development, and for professional service providers interested in effectively serving their business clientele.

According to Village Manager Jeff Wallace, the program is based on a recent state-approved Act 88, which allows "crowdfunding" as a measure for financing new businesses. Washtenaw County has teamed with Reconsider to get this information out for small business people and those that want to invest in these local small businesses.

Currently, Wallace noted, this method is being used to fund a brew pub in nearby Tecumseh.

"Shifting more capital into Manchester is a great idea, but where would that capital actually go?" said Angela Barbash, the founder of Reconsider. "The goal of  the event is to get people thinking and talking about what they envision in their town."

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 912 City Road. You must be registered to attend. Visit this link to obtain your free ticket.

Downtown Manchester circa 1868

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.