Core Goods, a local food market at 2 East 1st Street in Oil City, is one of 500 businesses in the country to receive a $10,000 Backing Small Businesses grant, through a program of American Express and Main Street America.

The funds will be used to renovate Core Goods’ second storefront at 6 E 1st Street into a “community gathering space.” The business will hold classes, host events and farm pop-ups, and eventually make it available to rent for private events and meetings, which they can provide catering for.

Core Goods opened on Seneca Street in September 2018 and moved to their new location on the Southside in November 2022. The building has two connected storefronts and they renovated the first side into their current store, where they have continued to grow and expand their offerings.

“We’re incredibly excited about this next step,” said Ashley Sheffer, owner of the business. “This space is something we’ve wanted to create since we moved and it will allow us to bring our community together more and provide education around local food and sustainability.”

Learn more about Core Goods at core-goods.com, or find them on social media.

Congratulations Core Goods!

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s July 2024 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.