Small businesses could get a shot to open a store and help revitalize Salinas’ downtown.

Erik Chalhoub here, cautiously optimistic that downtowns are on the rise. Shopping malls and big box stores may have helped lead to the decline of the downtown across the nation. But now, many malls and large physical retailers aren’t doing so hot themselves—the internet can be blamed or thanked (depending on your point of view) for that.

We may be heading full circle. Many customers crave the personal touch and service that only small businesses can provide, something that is nearly non-existent in the cold, soulless world of online shopping and major retailers. Downtowns are the perfect place to reconnect with humanity, and many local governments are looking to take advantage of that. I’ve seen these efforts pay off in communities I’ve covered, some more successful than others.

Which was why I was intrigued to read Weekly staff writer Celia Jiménez’s article in this week’s edition about an initiative by the City of Salinas to fill vacant storefronts downtown.

Called From StreetFront to StoreFront, the pilot program aims to help two home-based businesses transition to a brick-and-mortar operation by paying the first six months of their rent. The city will negotiate with property owners for below-market-rate rent.

The goal is to start in the winter. You can read more in Jiménez’s article.

It takes a lot of passion to start up a business, and the same amount, if not more, of money to make it happen. Most of these entrepreneurs don’t have the latter. I’ll be interested to see what new businesses may open in downtown Salinas thanks to this program.