William Rugh Gallery: A CEDC Grant Success Story

Thanks to two grants from CEDC, William Rugh Gallery, an art gallery in Lancaster, is "Happy to say we're cooking along again," comments William (Bill) Rugh, the gallery's owner.

At the William Rugh Gallery, like a lot of small Main Street businesses, it's a matter of numbers. With a lot of traffic coming into the gallery, chances are, you'll get some folks interested in purchasing the art, but when COVID hit, traffic all but came to a screeching halt, causing sales to take a hit. COVID brought the Gallery's numbers down 75%, putting the business, which had been going strong since 1997, in jeopardy.

But, William Rugh Gallery is still here. Bill found a way to keep things moving, even without the many faces he loves to see walk through the gallery doors.

Bill reached out to CEDC and worked with Lise Howson, Executive Director, to apply for two grants. "You couldn't work with a better person," shares Bill, referring to Lise.

After some minor paperwork and an easy process, he was awarded $2,500 from The Community Development Block Grant - CARES Act Funds Program (CDBG-CV), administered by the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) and CEDC, as well as $2,000 from the CEDC Coronavirus Emergency Relief Grant.

"It's been a great help," shares Bill. "The grants are just great!"

Those funds quite literally kept the lights on at the gallery. Bill used the funds to address some maintenance issues with lighting and pay three months’ rent. In addition, when he needed some extra support, the funds allowed him to pay a couple of people to work when needed. And, to get some of that traffic back in, Bill used some of the funds to purchase ads for the Gallery, which he says helped a lot.

Today, the future of the William Rugh Gallery looks good. While COVID knocked them down 75%, they are now back to 75%, and Bill has some plans for the gallery up his sleeve that he's excited about. And, as far as working with CEDC goes, Bill concludes, "It's a win-win situation, and Lise is so nice and easy to work with. She's treated me like royalty through this whole thing."

If your business could benefit from one of the many funding options offered by CEDC, email Lise Howson for more information.