Applications Open for theDEPOT Retail Incubator

McKENZIE — Entrepreneurs, unite. Applications are now open for aspiring business owners to jumpstart their entrepreneurial journeys and become one of the first to move into theDEPOT, McKenzie’s new downtown retail incubator.

theDEPOT, situated between McKenzie’s Splash Pad and the railroad tracks, used to be a working train depot. Over the years, as train travel became obsolete for the common man, the building found different purposes. Once the home of the McKenzie Industrial Board, the building now sits as a city-owned event space, bringing in about $2,500 per year for the city.

Next April, the building will be the home of four new retail businesses, according to McKenzie Mayor Ryan Griffin. 

Though McKenzie’s downtown area has become a breeding ground for retail and food spaces in the past year,  Griffin said the city still loses almost $8 million in food and retail spending to nearby cities and online storefronts.

“Downtown has started to pick up momentum,” said Griffin. He began to think, “How do we build up on that? How do we create an environment where folks want to start a business — and where McKenzie customers will support it?”

Looking at the depot building, Griffin found his answer.

The building is divided into four rooms — each with its own outdoor entrance. The rooms each have an attached private restroom, and one has an attached kitchen area. They each have their own air conditioner and meter. Three rooms are approximately 500 square feet, and one is about 700 square feet.

Mayor Griffin and several city officials realized the rooms would be great storefronts for new retail startups. After conversations with Paul Taylor, with Taylor Investments out of Jackson, the idea began to take shape. The building, renamed theDEPOT, will soon become a retail incubator, or a small business launchpad, for dreamers to give their business ideas a try.

Each room will cost about $500-$600 monthly in rent, and the City of McKenzie will help owners with some marketing efforts. The only stipulations are that the business must be in the food or retail industry, and the business must be open to consumers for more than three days per week — including Friday or Saturday

The lease will have the option to renew each year, with a two-year limit in the building.

In a discussion with high school students, Mayor Griffin said there is no age restriction on the lease. If someone under the age of 18 has a winning business idea, their parents must approve before they sign the lease.

Right now, in the early stages of theDEPOT, Mayor Griffin said his ultimate goal is to get people thinking: “What can we open here?”

“Maybe you just started,” Griffin said. “Maybe the concept is in your head. We can help point you to someone who can help flesh out that business plan.”

The Main Street Committee, which is made up of business owners downtown, will review applications as they come in. Mayor Griffin plans for theDEPOT businesses to open to customers in April 2026.

While open to all ideas and efforts, Griffin said the committee will favor entrepreneurs who have already built their business out of their homes or online, giving them a storefront to attract more local customers.

The City of McKenzie posted applications for the retail incubator on Facebook on Thursday, November 13. Applications are open now through January 31, 2026. Once applications close, the Main Street Committee will move forward with interviews before choosing the first four businesses to move into theDEPOT.