Copperas Cove grant helps Kiln + Cone open downtown spot
Kiln + Cone won Copperas Cove’s $5,000 downtown grant, and the city’s full $25,000 annual pot was already spoken for. The renovation is a test of whether the program brings real foot traffic.
Copperas Cove is putting a small downtown bet on Kiln + Cone, awarding the new business a $5,000 Business Improvement Grant to help turn a former restaurant at 105 E. Avenue E into a family-friendly stop. The bigger question for residents is whether that matching money will translate into a visible storefront upgrade, more customers on Avenue E, and a downtown block that feels busier than it did before.
The grant was announced Friday, June 12, by the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation. The program reimburses half of qualifying project costs, up to $5,000, and is meant to support permanent improvements such as storefront changes, signage, site work and other building upgrades. In Kiln + Cone’s case, owner Ashley Lyons used the money to help renovate the space into a concept that combines paint-your-own pottery with ice cream, giving downtown another destination aimed at families and casual visitors.
The award also shows how quickly the program has been tapped. The EDC budgeted $25,000 for the Business Improvement Grant program in fiscal year 2025-2026, and by the end of the first quarter it had already awarded all of those funds. The grants are first-come, first-served and open to eligible for-profit businesses, property owners and tenants within Copperas Cove city limits, which makes the pace of applications a sign of demand as much as a sign of city support.
Sean Stevens, assistant executive director of the Copperas Cove EDC, said the program is meant to encourage businesses to reinvest in themselves and build a stronger sense of place. That framing matters downtown, where small visible changes can shape how people judge whether the city center is gaining momentum or simply holding its ground. The program itself had been in development for a little over a year, and Stevens said Anna Rodriguez of Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful helped inspire it through a Developmental Leadership Academy capstone project.
Kiln + Cone now joins a cluster of recent downtown activity around Avenues D and E, S. 2nd Street and Main Street. Main St. Mercantile opened downtown in August 2025, Refresh Salon & Spa moved to 109 E. Avenue E in January 2025 after first opening in March 2015, and the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce relocated to 109 W. Avenue D near the Cove Theater. Copperas Cove also adopted a new official city logo on Jan. 7, 2026, another sign that officials are trying to sharpen the city’s image as well as its streetscape.
For now, Kiln + Cone is the clearest test of whether that strategy can produce something measurable: a better-looking building, a more active corner of downtown and, eventually, enough customer traffic to justify more private investment on the next block.
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