START UP: DECI Is Driven By Entrepreneurs
downtown nonprofit’s leaders know the ups and downs of business
If you’ve shopped, dined, celebrated, been entertained, or even just strolled in downtown Eau Claire during the past 23 years, you’ve probably heard of Downtown Eau Claire Inc. – also known as DECI. Yet unless you’ve been a member of DECI, you might not know exactly what it is or what it does.
This year, Erin Klaus and Matt Pabich hope to change that. Not only do they both work for DECI, but they also own small businesses in downtown Eau Claire – exactly the kind of businesses that the downtown-based nonprofit exists to serve and promote.
“We’re not outside looking in on the downtown. We’re part of it, we’re involved with it,” said Pabich, DECI’s event and promotions coordinator and owner of Raggedy Man Goods & Gifts, 215 N. Barstow St.
“We’ve been through the ebbs and flows of entrepreneurship,” added Klaus, DECI’s executive director and co-owner of Tangled Up in Hue, 505 S. Barstow St.
DECI itself has been through ebbs and flows, and late in 2024 officially stepped out from under the umbrella of the City of Eau Claire to become a fully independent nonprofit organization. Its goals, however, remain unchanged, and it has a renewed focus on bringing economic vibrancy to the heart of Eau Claire, which is alive with small businesses, entertainment options, numerous dining experiences, the beloved farmers and artists markets, and so much more.
The key to that is to both create and promote events and experiences that bring visitors downtown – from the long-running Fall Festival to the brand-new High Bridge Howl – and to provide benefits for member businesses, including networking, resources, grant opportunities, and sponsorships.
“We really want to be that downtown-community connector,” Klaus said. “If you’re a young entrepreneur and you’re considering whether you want to be downtown or whether you want to be out in London Square, we would love to talk to you about the value of downtown and what it looks like.”
Some of the value in being part of DECI is tangible: Among its programs, DECI holds the annual Jump-Start Downtown competition for entrepreneurs opening businesses downtown or relocating them there. (Applications for the latest round were due Dec. 31, but with a $5,000 first prize, entrepreneurs should keep this competition in mind for the future.) DECI also oversees Downtown Enhancement Grants worth $2,000, which are given in winter and summer, and works with the North Barstow Business Improvement District to make beautification grants worth up to $10,000 for projects in that part of downtown.
DECI also sponsors numerous events throughout the year, aimed at both the general public and businesses. Next on the calendar, for example, is the first Mix ’n Mingle Business Networking Event of 2025, which will run 5:30-8:30pm on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at The Coven, 131 S. Barstow St. Klaus said the event will be an opportunity for DECI to hear from business owners and entrepreneurs. “We really want to hear what they want us to focus on, what they feel a downtown org should be doing for them, and what membership would mean to them, and connecting them with resources,” she said.
Such business-to-business networking and listening is key for DECI, Pabich explained. “Everybody down here has something to offer, and it’s kind of pulling that out of each businesses and being able to offer it within the community of DECI members,” he said.
Part of creating that community is embodied in DECI’s decision to locate its office inside The Coven, a co-working space on the second floor of the US Bank Building. “Us having the office here is huge because we’re now immersed in a community that is literally built for interconnection and sharing,” Klaus said. “When we were hidden away at City Hall we didn’t actually have great access to the public. It was hard for someone to come find me there.”
Klaus and Pabich hope this increased accessibility leads an increase in DECI’s membership, which is open to businesses and organizations whether or not they are located downtown. In turn, an organization with increased vibrancy can create more and better events and promotions to draw visitors downtown for shopping, entertainment, dining, recreation, and more.
“We’re breathing a new breath into this organization with our independence and ability to be nimble,” Klaus said. “I want to stay on the pulse of what the downtown businesses and community want happening.”
Downtown Eau Claire Inc.
Want to connect with DECI? It’s easy: Find them online at downtowneauclaire.org or @downtowneauclaire on Facebook and Instagram; email hello@downtowneauclaire.org; call (715) 579-2885; or visit them inside The Coven, 131 S. Barstow St., Suite 202.
