Always looking for newer and better ideas to promote Ephrata's downtown, Marsha DiBonaventuro is turning to cyberspace.

DiBonaventuro, executive director of Downtown Ephrata Inc., is hoping to convert a vacant second-floor space into a shared-office facility for online entrepreneurs, small businesses or at-home businesses seeking to interact with other professionals.

There would be no time limit for how long a business could remain at the center.

Not so much a business incubator as a co-working space similar to The Candy Factory Warehouse in the 300 block of North Queen Street in Lancaster city, DiBonaventuro said, the place would address a 21st-century need.

"The idea itself is nothing new," DiBonaventuro said. "Incubators, and variations of incubators, have been around for a while. But what seems to be really popular right now is recognizing the Gen Y and Gen Z generations and higher tech businesses that are being developed. The playing field has been really widened with all the electronic opportunities."

To bring the idea to reality, DEI has been awarded a $15,400 grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation's Social Enterprise Program to conduct a feasibility study.

Already under way, the study is being conducted by Jeannette Archer-Simons. It will look at DEI's marketing plan, whether or not there is sufficient interest by potential users and if the intended space will suffice.

The space being looked at is the second floor of the former Sprecher Hardware building, the first floor of which is occupied by The Fun-est Toy Store Ever. The historic structure has attractive advantages such as exposed brick walls, high ceilings, hardwood floors and 10-foot windows overlooking Main Street.

"This is a really hip, creative environment for younger entrepreneurs to weld their craft," DiBonaventuro said.

It also would have the advantage of creating a reliable revenue stream for DEI. The new center also will house DEI's office.

But the building, erected in 1912, the same year its still-functioning elevator was installed, also has disadvantages, including no heat or air conditioning on the upper floors. The study will decide if the structure can be economically upgraded to meet the demands of the computer age.

"If we can make the numbers work, we've going to have a shared office space downtown that will continually attract people," DiBonaventuro said.

DiBonaventuro believes Ephrata is ready for such a facility. Since DEI's creation in 2004, she said she has seen a "positive movement" that has translated into fewer downtown vacancies.

"When DEI started up there were over 30 vacancies," DiBonaventuro said. "Now there are less than five. Businesses will always come and go, but overall, spaces aren't vacant for very long."

Currently, DiBonaventuro is asking members of the community to submit possible names for the new facility. She also plans to enlist the aid of students from the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design to create a logo and promotional marketing ideas during the school's annual 24-hour "Designathon," which begins at 6 p.m. Friday.

The feasibility study will end in March, and DiBonaventuro said she is eager to "keep moving on this."

"The sooner we get it up and running," she said, "the better it will be for the downtown."