On the First Friday of June, we officially celebrated the first night of downtown Marietta’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA). Marietta’s DORA kicked off on June 4th with a celebration on the lawn of the Armory; a few words of commemoration were shared by Mayor Josh Schlicher, members of Marietta City Council, downtown business owners, and Marietta Main Street. Plus, local band OYO performed from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. to locals and tourists enjoying a summer evening in downtown Marietta.
Now, as we prepare for July First Friday, we are celebrating one month of DORA in downtown Marietta and uplifting some fun facts that make our local DORA program unique and sustainable.
As a reminder: Marietta’s DORA was approved by Marietta City Council and is managed by Marietta City Administration. As a partner to the City of Marietta, Marietta Main Street facilitates the management of DORA Cups and leads on promotion & marketing for the DORA.
740 Social created a custom sign board to promote their participation in DORA.
One Month Overview of DORA
In the first month of DORA, over 4,750 DORA Cups have been processed across 10 participating DORA Establishments. Thanks to the support of the City of Marietta and that of participating downtown businesses, participants in Marietta’s DORA have successfully raised a total of $1,808.99 in community reinvestment - or, an average of $.38 per cup.
How is Marietta’s DORA program operated & funded?
Each DORA community in Ohio manages their DORA differently - some require consumers to purchase wrist bands, some get cups sponsored by larger corporations, and some seek grants to cover the costs of the program. In some communities, Main Street organizations or Chambers manage the distribution of cups, sometimes the municipality does, and sometimes a small business does. One of the characteristics that make DORA so great is how highly customizable it can be, all while following guidelines set forth by the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.
In Marietta, the City of Marietta has partnered with Marietta Main Street to operate, manage, and promote DORA. Marietta’s DORA program is sustainably funded as long as the program continues because any DORA cup fees incurred by a participating business are recouped by a $1 DORA fee charged to the consumer per DORA drink. Plus, in Marietta, consumers can be proud that the $1 DORA fee not only supports small business but also invests in the future of our community.
Thanks to the support of Hyde Brothers Printing & Marketing, a Marietta-based business, for creating a Marietta DORA Drinkware custom website, qualified permit holders downtown can easily order branded DORA cups and send them right into production. From there, here’s how the money flows:
The qualified permit holder orders their cups using the custom Marietta DORA Drinkware online portal. The business does not pay for cups at checkout but cups are sent immediately into production. It takes approximately 5 days to produce and 2 days to ship cups. Cups are delivered directly to the business.
Marietta Main Street receives a bill for each cup order placed by a participating DORA establishment. This bill includes any fees charged, shipping/freight, and any applicable tax.
Marietta Main Street invoices each business $.90 per cup, which is inclusive of all fees, shipping, and any tax charged. The business pays Main Street and Main Street pays the bills.
DORA establishments charge each consumer a $1 DORA fee per drink, which fully covers all costs of operating the program + community reinvestment. The $1 fee also helps curb, ever so slightly, any potential abuse of the DORA program downtown.
Marietta Main Street Past President Tim Glover (left) purchased the first two DORA drinks on June First Friday from 740 Social while Marietta Main Street Executive Director Cristie Thomas (right) was first in line to purchase a DORA drink from Tony Styer (center), owner of the Marietta Brewing Company.
Marietta’s DORA Supports Small Business & Reinvests in Local Development
In Marietta, our DORA makes dollars (& sense!) for small businesses and in support of future development downtown. Marietta’s DORA program has community reinvestment built into it. By charging a $1 DORA cup fee per drink to consumers who participate in DORA, small businesses cover all costs for participation in the DORA program PLUS support local by contributing to a local fund for Enrich Marietta projects.
Tying Marietta’s DORA program to community reinvestment is vital to cover the costs to business, ensuring no business needs to worry about DORA participation being an ongoing expense to their budget.
Specifically, of profit generated from DORA cup sales, 90% is credited to a restricted fund for Enrich Marietta. In June, thanks to 4,750 DORA cups processed, this totaled $1,628.09. Enrich Marietta projects include things like riverfront enhancement, streetscape design and updates, and more. The remaining 10% of funds raised are donated to Marietta Main Street to support our operations in administering the DORA program (advertising, promotion, small business assistance) and so we can keep on doing what we do: revitalizing downtown. In June, this totaled $180.90 - or, less than a nickel per cup.
Infographic created & designed by Sarah Arnold.
