TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Federal Coffee owners Kris and Gretchen Kraut were awarded the first round of “open tourism” funding.
The Open for Tourism initiative was constructed to help local businesses prepare for increased tourism thanks in part to the planned development of a convention center and casino in Terre Haute.
“Despite what is happening around us with COVID-19, there are still so many tourism opportunities coming for our community,” says Chamber of Commerce President Kristin Craig. “We have to be prepared to meet these needs in the future which includes developing places for people to eat, drink and shop within our area.”
Working with representatives from the West Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, Kraut completed one-on-one consultations with subject matter experts and specific training for their business.
“It’s a great historic building and we just wanted to make some changes to fit our aesthetic,” said Federal Coffee co-owner Kris Kraut. “Construction down the street and across the street, anywhere you look there’s something going on so it’s really cool to be apart of that.”
One of the many additions Federal Coffee owners added was a walk-up window which would combat an increase in tourism-related activity.
“The consultation that we’ve had with the small business development center has been really integral with us feeling confident that when we reopen we’re going to be good to go,” stated Kraut.
Federal Coffee will open for business on Sept. 29th, which happens to be National Coffee Day.
To be eligible for the business development funding, businesses must be a member of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. Additional requirements can be found at https://www.terrehautechamber.com/.
