DBA, Town Launch “Vacant to Vibrant” to Activate Downtown Storefronts
The Downtown Brattleboro Alliance (DBA), in partnership with the Town of Brattleboro, is launching Vacant to Vibrant Brattleboro, a new pilot program designed to transform vacant and underutilized downtown storefronts into places of creativity, commerce, connection, and opportunity.
The five-month program, running from September through January, will connect downtown property owners with local artists, entrepreneurs, retailers, makers, service-based businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations interested in testing ideas in a physical downtown space.
With a $20,000 pilot investment, Vacant to Vibrant will offer several levels of support, ranging from temporary art and window installations to retail pop-ups and more substantial service-based or experiential business activations.
“Vacant storefronts are more than empty spaces—they are opportunities,” said Kate Trzaskos, Executive Director of the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance. “We want to give people with great ideas a chance to try something, give property owners a chance to see what’s possible in their spaces, and give the community more reasons to come downtown. Most importantly, we want to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs to see Main Street as a place where they can build their future.”
Three Ways to Go From Vacant to Vibrant
The program will offer three tiers of activation:
Window to Vibrant will support artists and creative projects that bring vacant storefront windows to life through temporary exhibitions, installations, photography, murals, community storytelling, and other visual displays.
Pop-Up Vibrant will support retail and maker pop-ups, giving entrepreneurs and existing businesses an opportunity to test a brick-and-mortar concept with a lower level of risk.
Vibrant Business Lab will support more substantial temporary activations, including service-based businesses, creative studios, workshops, wellness concepts, educational programs, and other experiential uses.
Participating property owners will be asked to make their spaces available at no or substantially reduced rent during the activation period. DBA and the Town will provide coordination, marketing, technical assistance, and help navigating municipal requirements.
The program is inspired by successful downtown activation initiatives in communities including Portland, Maine, San Francisco, and State Street in New Haven. These programs demonstrate that temporary activation can do more than improve the appearance of vacant properties—it can help entrepreneurs test concepts, connect property owners with potential tenants, and create a pathway toward permanent occupancy.
Building the Future of Main Street
Vacant to Vibrant is intentionally designed as an economic-development initiative, not simply a storefront beautification project. It’s also an early action within the broader goals of Next Gen Brattleboro, a community initiative focused on strengthening Brattleboro's future by attracting and retaining more working-age residents and young families. A vibrant, entrepreneurial Main Street is an important part of that future. Vacant to Vibrant creates an opportunity to make downtown more active and welcoming while lowering the barriers for the next generation of entrepreneurs to put down roots, test ideas, build businesses, and become part of Brattleboro's future.
A successful pop-up could become a permanent business. An artist could discover a downtown gallery opportunity. An online retailer could test a physical location. A service provider could build a customer base. A property owner could discover a new tenant.
The program will track not only the number of storefronts activated, but also customer engagement, business activity, property-owner participation, prospective tenants, and opportunities for permanent leases.
“This is about creating a stronger pipeline for the future of downtown,” said John Potter, Brattleboro Town Manager. “We want to make it easier for people with ideas and entrepreneurial energy to see themselves as part of Brattleboro’s Main Street.”
The September–January pilot will begin with property-owner recruitment and storefront identification in September, followed by activator applications and space matching in October. Storefront installations and pop-ups will launch in November, with December providing an opportunity to capitalize on holiday activity downtown. The program will conclude in January with an evaluation of results and identification of opportunities for longer-term occupancy.
Get Involved
Downtown property owners with vacant or underutilized storefronts and artists, entrepreneurs, retailers, makers, service providers, nonprofits, and community organizations interested in participating are encouraged to connect with the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance.
More information about the program, including application details and participating properties, will be available through the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance website.