Downtown Everett is gaining recognition for the investments being made to strengthen its businesses, enhance its streetscapes, and create a more vibrant place to live, work, shop, and visit. The Downtown Everett Association (DEA) has been named a 2026 Excellence on Main Economic Opportunity Award recipient for its Downtown Everett Storefront Enhancement Program. The Economic Opportunity Award recognizes initiatives that strengthen the economic vitality of downtown districts through business investment, job creation and retention, sales growth, and other efforts that support a thriving local economy.

At the heart of the Storefront Enhancement Program is a simple idea: when individual businesses invest in their storefronts, the entire downtown benefits. From eye-catching signage and inviting outdoor seating to updated lighting, fresh paint, and thoughtful landscaping, these improvements help create a more welcoming and visually engaging downtown experience.

The groundwork for the program began with Frontdoor Back, which provided best-practices workshops and one-on-one consultations for local businesses. Through this work, business owners were encouraged to reimagine their storefronts and explore how thoughtful design, updated materials, and intentional improvements could transform their spaces and contribute to the character of downtown.

Building on that momentum, the DEA launched the Storefront Enhancement Grant Program in 2022 with funding from the City of Everett through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. The initial goal was to quickly put resources into the hands of local businesses as they continued recovering from the pandemic. The first year was a success, with 11 completed projects helping spark a new wave of investment in downtown storefronts.

Now in its fourth year, the program has supported more than 38 storefront improvement projects and distributed over $130,000 in grants. Together, these projects have helped reshape the look and feel of downtown, bringing new energy and investment to commercial spaces throughout the district.

The impact goes well beyond the grant dollars. For every dollar awarded through the program, business owners have invested an estimated additional four dollars of their own, contributing to more than $913,000 in total storefront improvements across downtown Everett. This investment demonstrates the power of leveraging public resources to encourage private investment and create lasting improvements.

A vibrant downtown doesn’t happen overnight. It takes committed business owners, strategic investment, and a shared vision for what a downtown can become. Every improved storefront, refreshed façade, and welcoming outdoor space helps build momentum, attract visitors, support local businesses, and strengthen downtown Everett as a place people want to spend time.

This award recognizes not only the success of the program, but also the business owners who have taken the initiative to invest in their properties and the community around them. The DEA is proud to help make these improvements possible and remains committed to supporting the businesses, spaces, and experiences that make downtown Everett a destination worth discovering.

Congratulations to all of the downtown businesses who have participated in the program. This recognition belongs to you, too!