How a Citywide Shopfront Grant helped me, eleven owner

eleven co-owner Themis Chryssidis was able to give his Waymouth Street bar and restaurant a spruce up with a little help from the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA). Themis secured a Shopfront Improvement Grant that allowed him to install outdoor blinds, offering a new dining experience for customers. He shares how the grant has impacted his modern Australian restaurant and bar inspired by French cooking techniques. 

A Shopfront Improvement Grant did not just give Themis an opportunity to improve his venue’s façade and functionality, it allowed them to create another dining option for customers.
Themis, alongside fellow owner Callum Hann, used a Shopfront Improvement Grant as an opportunity to boost the aesthetic of the fine dining restaurant and create a new space to attract more customers.
The grant program encourages small businesses, organisations and property owners to apply for funding of up to $10,000 to enhance presentation, contribute to amenity and make a creative contribution to streetscape.
eleven's grant was used to install blinds that cordoned off some of the space outside the restaurant to create a cosey, weatherproof outdoor dining experience.
“It helped get us through COVID-19 because we could secure reservations outside and increase our capacity,” Themis says.
“Our diners love it because they are very happy to sit outside in winter, otherwise they certainly would not be out there.
“Even when it is raining, we’ve still be able to use the tables.”
The restaurant is next to the outdoor bar.

Themis says the grants are not a rescue package, but a chance to understand how business owners can work with AEDA and the City of Adelaide to make a difference.
He says during the pandemic he “never wanted a handout”, however the Shopfront Improvement Grant scheme allows businesses to work with the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.
To secure a grant, the applicant has to foot at least 20 per cent of the total project cost.
Themis says co-investment is the key to making the dollar go further, providing a greater impact across the city.
“It forces people to put their money where their mouth is, which is important, and value the contribution they get from organisations like AEDA,” he says.
“You feel supported but at the same time you know you must invest – so we’re a big key component of making it a success.”

Businesses in the Adelaide CBD (5000) and North Adelaide (5006) can all apply for a Shopfront Improvement Grant.
Submissions from tenants must provide proof of landlord approval.
Applicants that received a previous Citywide Shopfront Improvement Grant this year or Mainstreet and Laneways Revitalisation & Improvement Grant in 2021 or 2022 for the same address cannot apply.
Thermis encouraged all eligible businessowners or landlords to apply for grants.

“This is a core investment opportunity … and it gets projects off the ground,” he says.