www.archetypeid.com

http://www.hautedesign.com/

Meanwhile Downtown is an all-volunteer community project created to bring renewed interest to downtown Florence, SC. Meanwhile Downtown is a pop-up concept, allowing aspiring entrepreneurs to occupy empty storefronts rent-free.Preparation for Meanwhile Downtown was no small feat: what started as the inkling of an idea in October of 2010 led to months of preliminary research and multiple proposals and presentations to the Florence Downtown Development Corporation and property owners.After garnering the support of a core set of downtown activists, I began assembling and managing a project team who helped me procure local sponsors through presentations and events and obtained a partnership with the Center for Entrepreneurship at Francis Marion University. I coordinated with volunteers to craft several promotions including website, video, press releases, and news stories in an effort to recruit applicants to participate as the newest entrepreneurs for downtown Florence. I acted to assemble a panel of judges and facilitated the judging process in order to find new businesses to best-fit the vision for the growing area.The period between the final selection of participants to the grand opening concert event included coordinating leases, subleases, zoning, fire, and other legal issues; planning and executing a sponsor appreciation preview night; and assisting the winners with the major clean-up and set-up of their spaces. I served as the liaison between the building owners, the Florence Downtown Development Corporation, the City of Florence, and the winners of the spaces.