Main Street Blog

Main Street Blog

Boyne City Main Street: 2020 Great American Main Street Award Semifinalist Spotlight

October 20, 2020 | Boyne City Main Street: 2020 Great American Main Street Award Semifinalist Spotlight | A year-round economic driver for downtown, Boyne City’s Farmer’s Market has been going strong. Credit: Michigan Barefoot Memories Photography On Oct. 30, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2020 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA). In anticipation of the big reveal, we’re highlighting one GAMSA semifinalist per day on our blog, Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter from Oct. 20 -29. We’ll not only spotlight their impressive efforts from previous years, but we’ve also checked in with each community to hear about how their ...
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Spotlighting the 2020 Great American Main Street Award Semifinalists

October 19, 2020 | Spotlighting the 2020 Great American Main Street Award Semifinalists  In February, we announced the eight semifinalists of the 2020 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA). A top honor within the commercial district revitalization field, Great American Main Street Award winners are shining examples of the power of the Main Street Approach. To celebrate these eight inspiring semifinalists and to get you reacquainted with their accomplishments, we’ll be highlighting one GAMSA semifinalist per day on our blog and social channels starting tomorrow October 20th through Thursday, October 29th. We’ll not only spotlight their impressive ...
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Help Small Businesses Thrive Online This Holiday Season

October 16, 2020 | Help Small Businesses Thrive Online This Holiday Season Help the small businesses on your Main Street develop the ecommerce skills to succeed this holiday season and beyond by forwarding them an invitation to sign up for a free, six-week course: eBay’s Seller School . Whether a business is just getting started in ecommerce or looking to expand their online presence, the course will help them gain the skills to grow their business online in just a few hours a week.   The course offers a dynamic virtual learning experience, including on-demand lessons, exclusive weekly webinars, and live coaching from expert sellers. And it’s ...
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Staff Spotlight: Kathy La Plante, 31 Years of Main Street

October 16, 2020 | Staff Spotlight: Kathy La Plante, 31 Years of Main Street |  Kathy La Plante at the Main Street Now Conference in Pittsburgh, 2017. This October, Kathy La Plante, Senior Program Officer and Director of Coordinating Program Services at the National Main Street Center, is celebrating her 31st Anniversary of being a part of the Main Street movement. Before arriving at NMSC in 2007, she served as the as the Executive Director for the Chippewa Falls Main Street Program for 7 years and the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Coordinating program for over 10 years. This week, we caught up with Kathy to hear more her journey with the ...
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Community Spotlight: Mexicantown in Detroit, Michigan

October 15, 2020 | Community Spotlight: Mexicantown in Detroit, Michigan | By: Myrna Segura-Beltchenko, Director, Mexicantown-Hubbard Communities Main Street Program |  The façade of Xochi's Gift Shop after participating in a façade improvement grant program from the Main Street. Photo credit: Myrna Segura-Beltchenko The Mexicantown-Hubbard Communities (MHC) Main Street is a program of Southwest Detroit Business Association in Detroit, Michigan. Established in 1957, the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA) fosters innovation, drive, and commitment. We work with investors, entrepreneurs, customers, and neighbors to capitalize on Southwest ...
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Share Your Voice (Literally) During PastForward

October 15, 2020 | Share Your Voice (Literally) During PastForward |  This year’s PastForward conference will feature three virtual Town Hall sessions that will provide a forum for open discussion and allow you to share your own beliefs and ideas for action. An exciting moment in these sessions will be videos featuring voices from the preservation community.  We invite you to a choose one or more of the following questions and submit your answer in a two-minute video! Equitable Development Question : What are you doing in your community to advance equity and inclusion through preservation? Climate Question : How can preservation respond to the ...
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Main Spotlight: Trading Cultural Displacement for Thriving Commercial Districts

October 14, 2020 | Main Spotlight: Trading Cultural Displacement for Thriving Commercial Districts | By: Mileyka Burgos-Flores, Executive Director, The Allapattah Collaborative CDC |  Commercial corridor in Allapattah's district. Photo credit: The Allapattah Collaborative CDC The Allapattah Collaborative CDC , a placed-based organization in Miami, Florida, is using the Main Street Approach™ as a vehicle to prevent displacement in our neighborhood and strengthen the 17th Avenue commercial corridor. Located northwest of Downtown Miami, Florida, the Allapattah area is a working-class neighborhood that is considered a melting pot of residents from ...
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New Webinar! Demographics, Data, and Diversity

October 9, 2020 | New Webinar! Demographics, Data, and Diversity |  In the wake of social upheaval across the country, many Main Street programs are considering how to launch or amplify diversity and inclusion efforts. To undertake a diversity initiative, an understanding of your community’s demographics is essential, both to ensure your outreach is inclusive and to establish a baseline for your efforts. But demographics – and the ways in which Americans choose to identify themselves – are shifting rapidly, and multiple dimensions of diversity need to be considered. We will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, October 15 at 3:00pm CT that will provide a ...
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Community Spotlight: Excelsior Springs is Hoping to Revitalize its Hall of Healing Waters

October 8, 2020 | Community Spotlight: Excelsior Springs is Hoping to Revitalize its Hall of Healing Waters | By: Abby Armato, Communications Coordinator, NMSC |  The interior of the Hall of Waters. Photo credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation The Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, was recently included in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2020 list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places . This list aims to raise awareness about the threats facing some of the nation’s greatest treasures. With the national attention on this historic building, the town’s Main Street program is hopeful the building will further its utility ...
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Main Street Pop-Up Conversation: Advancing Inclusive Entrepreneurship

October 7, 2020 | Main Street Pop-Up Conversation: Advancing Inclusive Entrepreneurship Are you looking to connect with your peers, get inspiration from other communities, make new friends, or simply talk to anyone that doesn’t live in your house? Register for our next Pop-up Conversation, available exclusively to Main Street America members .   Topic: Advancing Inclusive Entrepreneurship Date: Weds., Oct. 14 from 2pm - 3pm CST Facilitator: Amanda Elliott, Senior Program Officer and Director of California Programs at the National Main Street Center   Inclusive entrepreneurship supports efforts that intentionally bring a ...
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Celebrating the Centennial of the 19th Amendment on Main Street

October 7, 2020 | Celebrating the Centennial of the 19th Amendment on Main Street | By: Leah Nahmias, Director of Programs and Community Engagement, Indiana Humanities and Jackie Swihart, Project Manager, Indiana Main Street Coordinator |  Buttons created by the Indiana Women's Suffrage Centennial organization to promote a symposium held in March as a part of the Centennial celebration. Photo credit: Indiana Women's Suffrage Centennial Ratifying the 19th Amendment took more than 70 years and intense collaboration. The Preserving Women’s Legacy Grant program—a special suffrage centennial project for Indiana Main Street communities—was created to ...
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New Workshop! Building Main Street Resilience

October 6, 2020 | New Workshop! Building Main Street Resilience |  Hear from national experts in the planning, real estate, and disaster preparedness sectors in this one-day workshop held on Tuesday, October 27th in conjunction with the National Trust’s 2020 PastForward Conference. What : Building Main Street Resilience: Getting Ready for Climate Adaptation Workshop When :      General Session: October 27, 11:30 AM-4:30 PM ET      Hands-on Sessions : October 27, 4:30 PM ET and 7:00 PM ET Where : PastForward Virtual Conference Cost : Free! ( registration is required ) General Session As our nation faces millions of acres of forest ...
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Allied Member Spotlight: Downtown Redevelopment Services

October 1, 2020 | Allied Member Spotlight: Downtown Redevelopment Services | This week, we caught up with Ben Levenger, Principal and Managing Member of Downtown Redevelopment Services —a downtown revitalization consulting firm seeking to assist communities adjusting to the realities of today's economy. Downtown Redevelopment Services has been in business for nine years, and has offices in Akron, Ohio, and Park City, Utah. Meet Ben and learn more about Downtown Redevelopment Services, one of our valued Allied Members, below: What is the most rewarding aspect of working with Main Streets? The most rewarding part of working with Main ...
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Help Your Main Street's Businesses Grow Online

September 30, 2020 | Help Your Main Street's Businesses Grow Online Main Street America has teamed up with ecommerce leader eBay to extend a special invitation to our network as we head into the holiday shopping season.     Main Street small businesses, whether they're just getting started in ecommerce or looking to expand their online presence, are invited to enroll in eBay’s six-week Seller School guided course , which will help them learn to grow their business on eBay's global marketplace in just a few hours a week.   The course offers a dynamic virtual learning experience, including on-demand lessons, exclusive weekly webinars, and ...
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Main Street Now 2021 is Going Virtual

September 29, 2020 | Main Street Now 2021 is Going Virtual |  Join us April 12 - 14 for Main Street Now Online! The pandemic has disrupted our lives in ways big and small. The nature of our day-to-day work looks different; our rhythms and routines have been upended; and of course, Main Streets and small businesses across the country are facing unprecedented challenges. This is the new backdrop for our work, and it means that our collective mission is more relevant today than ever before. These new realities also mean that the kinds of in-person gatherings that sustain, motivate, and inspire us need to be put on hold, for now. The safety and well-being ...
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Announcing Artists Sunday: A New National Shopping Movement

September 28, 2020 | Announcing Artists Sunday: A New National Shopping Movement |  Join commercial districts across the country in a new national shopping movement: Artists Sunday. Occurring the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Artists Sunday encourages holiday shoppers to purchase from local artisans, craftsmen, and performing artists, aiming to make November 29 th the arts’ most profitable day of the year. Artists Sunday is a nationwide alliance of professional artists, non-profit agencies, community organizations, and sponsors encouraging consumers to shop with artists and craftsmen. This artist-focused day takes place the Sunday after Thanksgiving ...
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New Survey Results: How Small Businesses are Managing the Pandemic and Social Unrest

September 28, 2020 | New Survey Results: How Small Businesses are Managing the Pandemic and Social Unrest | By: Michael Powe, Ph.D., Director of Research, NMSC and Brittanii' Batts, Associate Manager of Projects & Research, NMSC | We encourage you to head over to The Point to discuss these findings with your peers. Building on our past survey research focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses, we recently conducted a survey aimed at understanding how business owners are managing the recovery from COVID-19 and responding to recent protests and social unrest related to police violence against Black Americans. Our survey was open ...
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Community Spotlight: How Athens, TN, is Managing Race Relations

September 24, 2020 | Community Spotlight: How Athens, TN, is Managing Race Relations | By: Lisa Dotson, Director, Main Street Athens |  The "Better Together" Walk through Downtown Athens. Photo credit: Alan Armstrong (Local freelance photographer) In the wake of the death of George Floyd, I was led to gather community leaders together — our city manager, chief of police, county mayor, county sheriff, three African American leaders, pastor/leader of the ministerial association, a member of Athens Thrive, and myself — and have a conversation about race relations in our community. This two-hour Zoom conversation led to planning a bigger conversation with ...
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Announcing the 2020 Annual List of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places

September 24, 2020 | Announcing the 2020 Annual List of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places |  Today, our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) unveiled their 33rd annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places . This list shines a light on important examples of our nation’s architectural and cultural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. NTHP has named more than 300 places to the list over the life of the program, and fewer than five percent of listed sites have been lost. The 2020 list includes a diverse mix of historic places nationwide that highlight many of the cultures, ...
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Main Spotlight: Supporting Spanish-Speaking Businesses in Washington, D.C.

September 23, 2020 | Main Spotlight: ¿Cómo se dice “Free Money?”: Supporting Spanish-Speaking Businesses in Washington, D.C. | By: Carolina Buitrago, Program Director, Columbia Heights - Mount Pleasant Main Streets, District Bridges |  District Bridges helped a local restaurant create a streatery to increase their outdoor dining capacity. Photo credit: Haydee Vanegas, Owner of Haydee’s This piece is part of a Main Street America blog series celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month . One of the biggest barriers for businesses in adapting to new conditions is accessing capital to help them develop new business capacities or adjust their product mix. ...
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