October 5, 2026 (OSCEOLA, IA) — Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts were awarded a combined $75,000 in state grants Monday evening after pitching their expansion ideas in the final round of the 2026 Open 4 Business contest.
Open 4 Business is a Main Street Iowa program housed within the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) Downtown Resource Center. The annual competition helps small businesses in Iowa’s 53 Main Street communities grow and expand.
The live pitch event, held at Off The Rails Catering & Events in downtown Osceola, featured finalists from Clarence, Elkader, Fort Dodge, Marion and Newton. Each entrepreneur had five minutes to present their growth strategy to a panel of judges.
“When a business grows, the impact reaches far beyond its front door,” said Debi Durham, director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “That’s what I love about Main Street. It gives business owners the resources and relationships to take that next step, creating jobs, bringing new energy to our downtowns and making our communities better places to call home.”
Grant recipients include:
- Clarence — Demeter’s Market, $25,000
- Elkader — Styled Abode, $15,000
- Marion — The Purple Wagon, $15,000
- Fort Dodge — Bloomers on Central, $10,000
- Newton — Fuego Hot Glass, $10,000
Top honors went to Demeter’s Market, a bakery in Clarence opened in 2021 by Torrey Wilhau. Known for its rotating selection of cheesecakes, sourdough breads, caramel pecan rolls, cookies and other naturally leavened pastries, Wilhau currently uses the kitchen at his mother’s cafe two doors down because Demeter’s lacks the equipment needed for larger-scale production. The grant will support a commercial convection oven, refrigeration, merchandising equipment and pastry cases, allowing Demeter’s to take on larger catering orders and pursue opportunities to supply local restaurants and grocery stores, with a future food truck offering another avenue for growth.
“We do see large demand beyond just our community,” he said. “There’s endless opportunity for our business.”
This year’s contest drew 19 applicants. Of those, 12 were invited to interview virtually with a panel of judges, who then selected five finalists.
On Monday, those finalists pitched live before Jacki Boldt, who leads the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program; Chris Deal, a business owner, developer and member of the Main Street Iowa Advisory Council; Nichole Hansen, chief community vitality programs officer at IEDA; Thomas Kedley, mayor of Osceola; and Austin Strawhacker, state director of America’s SBDC Iowa and a member of the Main Street Iowa Advisory Council.
Now in its 12th year, Open 4 Business has provided grants to more than 50 businesses. The grants are administered through IEDA’s Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs.
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