The City of North Bend and the North Bend Main Street Program make a surprise announcement that means a major expansion for one local small business.

Just months after applying, the Main Street Program was awarded a $200,000 Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant, the maximum amount possible from the state program.

On Tuesday, they surprised the owner of Angelina's Mexican Restaurant with the news that the restaurant's proposal to expand into a neighboring building obtained the necessary funding.

Angelina's, which moved to its Union Avenue location in January after 5 years in Coos Bay, will now open a tortilla business next door, creating 10 new jobs.

The dilapidated building which will house the business has a $185,000 price tag, to be paid for with the grant funds.

The Main Street Program will put out a formal request for bids to submit to the city's Urban Renewal Agency to rehabilitate the building.

Esmeralda Perez, daughter of owner Consuelo Perez, says it was a huge surprise for the family that moved to Oregon's Coast from Mexico 34 years ago.

"We wanted to be able to offer here in Coos County tortillas...fresh tortillas...like a kilo of tortillas which is like a package of tortillas fresh and warm," said Perez. "We can give other people the opportunity to have a job and experience the process of how we do things in our culture."

In order to hide the surprise, the event was promoted as a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the city's Downtown Main Street Program.

"It's another just giant win for us working towards our goals to make the downtown North Bend freshened up...more businesses thriving. Trying to draw more people to see what this is and what it's becoming as far as the city and a place just to come and be. It was a win for us," said Steve Nye, North Bend Main Street Program President. "As far as Angelina's...the emotion that she had when we told her; she had no idea until right now."

Angelina's will lease the building with that money being used as a revolving fund to help other businesses in the Urban Renewal Agency District.

The restaurant will own the equipment used that will make about 26 tortillas per minute.

Oregon Heritage, an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department division, awarded 27 matching grants worth nearly $5 million to Oregon Main Street Network organizations across the state to build projects encouraging economic revitalization. Projects range from façade improvement to basic facilities and housing, with awards ranging from $62,930 to $200,000.

The department-funded applications that best conveyed the ability to stimulate private investment and local economic development fit within the community’s long-range plan for downtown vitality and community needs. Oregon Main Street coordinator Sheri Stuart noted, “We have seen the impact of these funds the local Main Street organizations have brought to their communities on projects to date. We are excited to support this new round of projects and the potential to enhance and support downtowns across the state.”

The grant program was created during the 2015 legislative session and placed with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. The legislation established a permanent fund for the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant. It provided an initial infusion of funds from the sale of lottery bonds. The legislature included the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant in the lottery bond package approved in 2021. If funded by the 2023 state legislature, future grant rounds will be in the 24-25 biennium. The funds must be used to award grants to participating Oregon Main Street Network organizations to acquire, rehabilitate or construct buildings to facilitate community revitalization. The program also requires that at least 50 percent of the funds go to rural communities, as defined in the bill.