Free tools to help independent makers, sidewalk vendors, and micro-ventures bypass regulatory hurdles and retain neighborhood wealth. Rooted in central Iowa, inspired by Judge Ruth Klotz.
515 Main Street works as a practical translation layer for local commerce. We take complex city codes, sudden fee increases, and confusing licensing rules, then break them down into clear, open-source trackers and templates. Our goal is to help neighborhood entrepreneurs protect their businesses and keep wealth within the community.
This work is part of the Social Work Sandbox civic ecosystem, focusing on practical economic tools for everyday creators.
- micro-venture-toolkit/: Practical spreadsheets and playbooks for day-to-day business tracking.
- local-stock/: An open database tracking neighborhood makers and commercial resources.
- sizing-up-the-system/: Analytical breakdowns of local zoning shifts and commercial compliance friction.
All tools in this repository are open source and designed to protect your privacy. You can download, copy, and modify any file here. The spreadsheets are built to run locally on your own computer or to be printed out on paper. No cloud tracking, no accounts required.
All tools are provided strictly on an as-is basis. We do not provide legal or financial warranties. Local operators are responsible for verifying their own legal and tax compliance before deploying these tools.