Facing persistent construction, Czech Village and NewBo merchants announce ‘Cone Zone Cash’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Closed down when Prohibition hit in 1920, the historic building that now houses The Ideal Theater & Cocktail Bar in NewBo remained shuttered for over a century. Two years after the revamped venue featuring live entertainment opened, it faces another challenge:

The road outside is closed to cars and is torn up as crews rebuilt it.

Like other NewBo and Czech Village businesses, the venue has a front-row seat to growing pains as the area bounces back from the 2008 flood — new restaurants, apartments and condos, along with recurring construction and bridge closures as permanent flood protection is built and streets are repaired and modernized.

Friday, businesses announced a way of encouraging customers to come to New Bohemia and Czech Village despite the construction fences deterring them. The initiative is called Cone Zone Cash — Make it Better Bucks. More than 50 businesses have signed on as of a Friday news conference.

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“We need to get more people down here and keep this visitor district rolling,” said Monica Vernon, administrator of the Czech Village-New Bohemia Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District commission, or SSMID, which decides how to spend self-imposed tax dollars from commercial and industrial properties in the district to make improvements.

Under the program, Cone Zone Cash — coupons — can be redeemed for the same amount of money at participating businesses that they cost to purchase. The idea is that organizations purchase the coupons to give out to employees or members. The coupons are meant to incentivize customers to visit the district — and possibly spend more than just what the coupon covers.

The businesses participating can then bring the accepted coupons back to the district and be paid the full amount in cash.

“There’s so much to do down here, and there’s so much to see, and what we want to do is encourage everybody to come down, see what’s new when they haven’t been here, try these restaurants if they haven’t, go to a show at the Ideal, use that money that way, and then hopefully come back,” Heather Armstrong, owner of the Lucky’s on 16th restaurant in Czech Village, said during the news conference.

Cone Zone Cash can be purchased online at conezonecash.com.

Jim Piersall, chair of the Czech Village-New Bohemia SSMID, announced that $2,000 worth of Cone Zone Cash had been sold as of Friday morning. His announcement was met with a promise from Peter Durin, owner of the electrical and telecommunications supply Terry-Durin Company in downtown Cedar Rapids, to buy $10,000 worth of the coupons.

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Durin said he intends to give some of the coupons to his employees, but will send most of it to other companies with a challenge to purchase enough to match the amount he has given them.

“I am completely passionate about the Newbo District and Czech Village,” Durin said. “We can just continue to get this thing getting bigger and bigger.”

The news conference was held next to a construction site on 16th Avenue SE, which is closed to traffic between Second and Third streets for roughly two more months as it is rebuilt and new utilities are installed. The segment is in front of the Ideal Theater, the Kickstand bar and restaurant and the Little Bohemia restaurant.

Pedestrian access remains and a parking lot was opened behind Tornado's Pub & Grub.

Piersall said the Cone Zone Cash program is a pilot program, and if it goes well it could be put to use in other parts of the city when a business area is facing extended construction projects or other difficulties that make it harder to attract customers.

“We’re really excited about this program to help businesses affected by road construction now and in the future,” said Nick Jelinek, who owns Parlor City Pub and Eatery in NewBo.

“This is community helping community. This is neighbors helping neighbors. This is friends helping friends, colleagues helping colleagues. That’s how things really get done, when the people of the city help the people of the city.”

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com