Batavia Boardwalk Shop Incubator businesses hit $1M in retail sales

In the three years since its inception, the Batavia Boardwalk Shop Incubator Program in downtown Batavia has netted more than $1 million in sales, according to a news release.

The Boardwalk Shops were created by Batavia MainStreet in partnership with the city of Batavia to help house and support small retail businesses and create a place where shoppers could find local products, the release stated.

The shops serve as a business incubator, managed by Jamie Saam of Start Something Studio in Batavia, along with Batavia MainStreet staff and board members. The incubator program allows shop owners to test the feasibility of their business and products before signing a long-term lease, the release stated.

During the first season of the Boardwalk Shops, the eight original shops in 2020 experienced $320,000 in combined sales. Six of the seven shops moved into permanent locations in Batavia after the first season concluded. The second season saw $414,000 in combined sales with six of the ten shops finding brick-and-mortar locations in Batavia and Geneva. With two months left in the holiday shopping season for year three at the Boardwalk, the shops have already had combined sales of $318,000 and two oft he shops have already signed leases for locations in Batavia and Glen Ellyn, the release stated.

Applications for the 2023 season of the Boardwalk Incubator Program will be available on downtownbatavia.com Dec. 1 for local artists, artisans, home-based retail businesses and retail start-ups.

Applications will be accepted until Jan. 31, when the Batavia Boardwalk 2023 Jury Committee will select ten businesses from the applicants.

The Boardwalk Shops are open Fridays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. now through Dec. 19 at 114 E. Wilson St. in downtown Batavia.