Small business owners can now apply to be the next tenant of the Small Box Shop in downtown Enterprise.

The 8x20 retrofitted shipping container, formerly known as the business incubator, allows budding entrepreneurs a unique space to test their business concept in the heart of the city.

 “I was excited when I saw the opportunity to apply,” Chuck Clark, owner of Clark’s Leather Works said. “This was another opportunity to throw mud on the wall, to see what would stick and in what direction it's going."

Clark, the current tenant of the Small Box Shop, has been in the space since October. A navy veteran, Clark started his business in 2017 in Virginia and for the last six years, has been growing the business throughout the Wiregrass. He said the downtown location in ‘The Nook’ located at 123 S. Main Street provided a new opportunity.

“The Small Box Shop has become a springboard for entrepreneurs, offering them a platform to refine their business strategies and connect with the local community” Main Street Enterprise Executive Director Mariah Montgomery said. “The space provides a low-cost, low-risk platform for business owners to showcase their products and services."

Montgomery said the Small Box Shop also provides a supportive environment where entrepreneurs can learn, adapt, and thrive.

“Be prepared for some of the slower times to have something to do to be productive, be it working on your own product or doing social media posts,” Clark said. “It might be slow one day, but then the next day you could be setting all kinds of records.”

Clark’s Leather works is the second business to occupy the Small Box Shop since it opened in June 2023. Circle City Balloon Co. was the first tenant.

The Small Box Shop application requires business owners to answer a series of questions about their business and products. Applications will be screened by the Main Street Economic Vitality Committee, which will offer a recommendation to Enterprise City Council for approval. Tenants will be permitted to occupy the incubator for 6 months and are only required to pay the $50/month rent. All tenants must have a current Enterprise business license, must obtain personal property/rental insurance and must operate under agreed upon business hours.  The deadline to apply is Friday, Apr. 19.

“I encourage anybody who’s thinking of doing business in Enterprise to just apply,” Clark said. “You have nothing to lose, and you have everything to gain.”

The shipping container was provided by Main Street Alabama through a USDA Rural Development grant. For more information on the Small Box Shop or to apply to be the next tenant, visit  https://enterpriseal.gov/community/main_street_enterprise/smallboxshop.php