ALTON - Local entrepreneurs and project leaders had the chance to share more about their work in downtown Alton.
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On Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, community members gathered at The Wedge Innovation Center for Alton Main Street’s quarterly “What’s Up Downtown” meeting. Business owners and stakeholders shared information about their organizations and projects.
Scot Heathman, CEO of The Wedge, shared information about Entrepreneurship Week, planned for Feb. 17–20, 2026. The Wedge will host several seminars on entrepreneurship, from “Community Conversations on Health, Opportunity, and Design” by SIU System Office of Community Engagement to “The Van Gogh Entrepreneur: Building a Billion-Dollar Legacy from Nothing” by author Joan Fernandez.
“We brought together an incredible lineup of speakers,” Heathman said. “This was very intentional how we went about this, because we wanted to create enough variety that might be helping entrepreneurs out there, founders, students, business owners, or those of you who are just curious.”
Cousins Jeff Lewis and Roger Lewis shared information about Woodlake Entertainment, their production company that will begin filming the feature film “Herbert West’s Reanimator” in June in Alton. Roger explained that Jeff worked in Hollywood for over 30 years, and they’re excited to bring filmmaking to the Riverbend community. They added they will need locals to perform as extras, and they will likely include references to Alton in the script.
“We’re keeping everything based in Alton,” Jeff added. “We’re just trying to keep it as much in the community as possible…We’re just trying to keep everything locally-based, trying to build up the area.”
Anna Beile took the stage to inform the audience about Dolci Cafe, her new breakfast spot opening at 104 W. 3rd Street in March. Beile explained that the cafe is back after a two-year hiatus and better than ever, specializing in avocado toast, espresso drinks, salads, soups, sandwiches and more.
“The purpose of that was to find the right space with character and space to grow,” Beile said. She added that Bradley Rae Lamb, a competitor on Netflix’s show “Is It Cake?,” will contribute cakes to the cafe. Additionally, she emphasized the importance of supporting small businesses, with plans to buy poultry from a Calhoun County farm.
Jenna Giess is the new executive director of Oasis Women’s Center, a domestic violence shelter in downtown Alton. She introduced herself to the community and shared a few stories of people she has worked with through Oasis, including a woman named Hailey who went on to make donations to Oasis after receiving services.
“We just kept empowering her and telling her that she can be whoever she wants to be,” Giess said. “The cycle of violence is tough…That shelter is packed right now. Our phone rings off the hook. I just think that, as a community, we have to come together and really work for what we’re doing at Oasis. We really have a lot of work to do together, and it’s my honor to lead that mission.”
Alton Main Street hosts quarterly “What’s Up Downtown” meetings, with the next one scheduled for May. For more information about Alton Main Street and their work, including upcoming events, visit their official website at DowntownAlton.com.
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