Amid all the rightful attention garnered by news of large business investments here, it is worth remembering that small businesses are a vital part of the fabric of the community.

Along with jobs, these small businesses provide opportunities to many entrepreneurs with limited resources.

That’s why the recent news about a planned small business incubator in the heart of Bowling Green’s Shake Rag community is such welcomed news.

As the Daily News reported, the former Save-A-Lot grocery at 348 College St. is being turned into an incubator for small businesses owned by disadvantaged populations.

The project is a collaboration between the Bowling Green City Commission, building owner Houchens Industries and the Housing Authority of Bowling Green’s Live the Dream Development.

Businesses owned by women, minorities and low-income people will be given space in the building for up to four years as they grow their businesses. The project goal is to house up to six businesses in the building at one time.

Live the Dream already has experience in related work through the People’s Opportunity Program for Underserved Populations (POP-UP), and the organizations are now working through the details, which will include renovations to the building.

Abraham Williams, executive director of the Housing Authority of Bowling Green, said a restaurant, a bakery and a salon are expected to be among the businesses in the incubator.

Williams told Bowling Green city commissioners that POP-UP provided “opportunity and the tools” for small business owners but that rental costs were often prohibitive.

Williams said once the idea for an incubator was hatched, the search for a suitable location began and by the “grace of God and a whole lot of other folks,” Houchens Industries agreed to provide the property.

The city is putting up $1 million, Houchens Industries is providing the building along with $500,000 in additional funding and the project will receive $600,000 from the state.

Dawn Bolton, small business development consultant for POP-UP, said the project will provide more than just space; it will include instruction on all facets of running a small business.

“We are teaching them all the essentials,” Bolton said.

This creative effort is a shining example of a public-private collaboration that promises to pay dividends for the community for many years to come.