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Articles & Publications
For an Inclusive Recovery, We Need Support for Small Business and the Groups that Help Them
Main Street America is committed to helping small businesses recover and building strong, place-based ecosystems that help communities thrive holistically. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Main Street America has been advocating for federal support for business development organizations – like Main Street programs – as part of recovery funding. In this blog post, Michelle Harati, Policy Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) details the vital role that these organizations play and the opportunity to support the on-the-ground entities by extending existing funding to support place-based recovery.
Community Spotlight: Celebrating Pride Month 2021 on Main Street
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month! From small business owners to public artists to local leaders, join us this month to amplify the impact of the LGBTQ+ community in your Main Street district. Get started by downloading our Pride Month on Main Street social media graphics, purchasing Pride Flags to hang in your downtown (can't find them locally? Get them for free here), or looking up local LGBTQ+ nonprofits to partner with this month.
Community Spotlight: Mount Joy Business Collab Creates New Product Line
A collaboration between Ladybug Suds N' Scrubs and The Gentlemen's Barbershop has resulted in a product line for the barbershop.
Historic Real Estate Financing on Main Street: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
What does the pandemic mean for navigating downtown real estate development deals? How can Main Street programs help position real estate projects for success? We chatted with Corey Leon, Field Director of the Central Team at the National Development Council, trainer for the Historic Real Estate Finance Certification series, and an expert on Main Street real estate financing to find out the answers to these questions and more. In this week's Main Spotlight, learn more about downtown development trends, how to successfully pitch Main Street real estate projects to funders, and challenges and opportunities for historic real estate financing on Main Street.
Announcing the 2021 Main Street America Designated Communities and 2020 Reinvestment Statistics
We are proud to announce that 883 Main Street programs across the country have earned Accredited status, Main Street America’s top level of recognition. This elite designation signifies a strong commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization, along with a track record of effectively applying the Main Street Approach™. We also applaud the 337 programs that have been designated as Main Street America Affiliates this year. These programs have created meaningful improvements in their communities and are on the pathway to achieving even more significant economic, physical and organizational improvements in their downtowns.
Community Spotlight: Market Street Arts and Entertainment District in Mount Airy, NC
The summer of 2020 was a season of finding creative approaches to previously unimaginable circumstances. While Main Street programs may not reuse all of these approaches, some organizations are bringing the most impactful initiatives of 2020 back to their districts this summer. One such organization reusing a pandemic recovery approach is Mount Airy Downtown, Inc., who celebrated the return of their Market Street Arts and Entertainment District (MSA & ED) last weekend. This open street initiative in the heart of downtown Mount Airy, North Carolina, was developed in May 2020, and was such a success that the Main Street program decided to bring it back for a second year.