Corridor Business Journal: Downtown Iowa City is open for business and the Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD) is hoping to lure a growing market of female entrepreneurs to set up shop there. Women already own and operate 59 downtown businesses, according to ICDD Executive Director Nancy Bird. Yet they remain underrepresented overall, making up just 20 percent of total downtown businesses. “We know that the growth of female entrepreneurs is on the rise and that data reflects that many women often need to be directly invited,” Bird said. “We also know that women are driving soft good retail trends, so why not be deliberate in our invitation to join us and open the portal to downtown location opportunities?” To help better match entrepreneurs and small business owners with suitable spaces, the ICDD plans to host vacancy information on www.downtowniowacity.com that may not be listed on the Multiple Listing Service.