Community Spotlight: Totality on Main Street
From Maine to Texas and beyond, people gathered to bask in the the totality or peer through funky glasses at the Great American Solar Eclipse!
Erie, Pennsylvania © Dave Tamulonis
The Downtown Little Rock Partnership turned back the clock at the old Main Street Mall this weekend for a 90s Mall Party, transporting attendees back to a time when the Macarena ruled the dance floor and pagers were the ultimate status symbol. Now the home of state offices, the former downtown Little Rock mall closed decades ago, but still has working neon lights and original architectural features. Snoop Dogg and Britney Spears impersonators kept the party going while a Vee-Jay mashed up music and videos of the decade’s hottest hits. The event included a selfie station with the actual couch from 'Friends,' a costume contest, retro arcade, and other fun surprises.
"The 90s mean so many things to different people, and we are working to ensure you’ll find your experience represented in this amazing space," said DLRP Executive Director Gabe Holmstrom.
Related News
The Eclipse is Almost Here! Tips for Engaging Along Main Street
Whether you're preparing your community for a surge of visitors, traveling as a visitor yourself, or looking for a glimpse from outside the path, there are many opportunities to be experience this unique event.
Community Spotlight: Valentines Murals in Little Five Points
Learn how the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta uses this unique mural program to celebrate Valentine's Day and raise important funding for their work.
Community Spotlight: Sharing Umbrellas with Vancouver Downtown Association
This Washington Main Street is encouraging people to brave the rainy weather with their free umbrella share program.
Main Spotlight: A Ferry Ride to Main Street in Bainbridge Island, Washington
Learn how Bainbridge Island Downtown Association leverages their connection to the ferry to create a walkable and vibrant downtown.
Bainbridge Island, WA © Anna Carson
Exploring the Meaning and Impact of Small Business Saturday Across the Main Street Network
Small Business Saturday is an important opportunity to show your support for local businesses. We asked business owners across the network what your support means to them.
Laramie, WY © Laramie Main Street Alliance
Community Spotlight: Dia de los Muertos with Main Street Gardnerville
Celebrate this traditional Mexican holiday with Gardnerville, Nevada.
Gardnerville, NV © Main Street Gardnerville
Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champion Application Now Open
This holiday season, rally your communities around the small businesses that help make your downtown thrive.
5 Ways to Make This Your Best Small Business Saturday Yet
Small Business Saturday is Nov. 25! Check out these five strategies to celebrate shopping small.
Community Spotlight: Los Festivales y Mercados with Kendall Whittier Main Street
Learn how this community in Oklahoma celebrated Dia de la Independencia with a big festival.
Tulsa, OK © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Save the Date: Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champions Program Opening Soon
Get ready to support your small business owners and encourage people to shop small this November!
Program Spotlight: WeShopSC is Open for (Small) Business
Learn how the South Carolina Coordinator Program is uplifting small businesses across the state with their dedicated e-commerce platform.
© Main Street South Carolina
Main Spotlight: Exploring the 2023 Summer Intern Projects
Learn how Majd Alsaif, Celeste Constancio, and Leilani Commons supported Main Street America this summer.
Community Spotlight: East Somerville Main Streets Block Party
Check out this vibrant event celebrating small businesses and community joy in Massachusetts.
© Devon Moos Photography
Community Spotlight: Cajun Linen Night with Thibodaux Main Street
Celebrate summer in Louisiana—Cajun style!
© Abbigail LaCombe
Community Spotlight: NewTown Macon Hype Hounds
Learn how this Georgia town is recruiting their furry friends to help spread the word about Main Street.
© NewTown Macon
Main Spotlight: Fighting Hunger at the Roslindale Village Farmers Market
Learn how this Massachusetts community uses their farmer's market to increase access to fresh food.
Preparing Your Main Street for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Are you in the path of totality? Check out these tips from Carbondale's experience in 2017.
Main Spotlight: Engaging with Science on Main Street
Main Streets across the network are bringing science downtown. Check out these examples from Hendersonville, NC, Los Alamos, NM, and Sweetwater, TN.
© City of Hendersonville
Science on Main Street: Using Scientific Significance to Instill Community Pride
Learn how Main Street leaders and residents in Los Alamos, New Mexico have used the town's fascinating history to create a hugely successful week-long ScienceFest, going 16 years strong and counting.
Science on Main Street: The Desire for a Different Earth Day… Downtown
Learn how Hendersonville, North Carolina launched their first annual Earth Day Festival to celebrate their local environment and educate residents about ways to get involved with regional environmental sustainability efforts.
© City of Hendersonville
Science on Main Street: Totality in the Valley in Sweetwater, Tenn.
Jessica Morgan and Hayley Isbill from the City of Sweetwater (Sweetwater, Tenn.) explain how they prepared their community for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse and give useful tips and tricks for those who are preparing for the next eclipse coming in April 2024.
Allied Member Spotlight: Spring Tune Up for Websites
Spring is a great time to do some spring cleaning and maintenance for your digital storefront: your website.
Main Spotlight: A New American Girl for a Great American Main Street
Meet Kavi, the first Indian American Girl of the Year doll and a (fictional) resident of 2023 Great American Main Street Award winner Metuchen, New Jersey!
Metuchen, NJ © Lauren Beischer Photography
Allied Member Spotlight: How To Turn Blog Posts into Social Media Content
Check out these marketing tips from Allied Member Tourism Currents.
Five Main Streets to Show Your Love for Local This Valentines Day
From the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers in Paducah, Kentucky, to the tasty cakes and sweet treats of Kendallville, Indiana, these Main Streets are the perfect places to show your love for all things local.
Kendallville, IN © Historic Downtown Kendallville
Program Spotlight: Bike Rides Power Community Connections in Chicago
Learn how Main Street America partner Equiticity is fostering stronger community connections through their bike ride program.
Chicago, IL © Oscar Sanchez.
Photo Spotlight: City of Halloween, South Carolina
Rhe City of Conway, SC rebranded for the month of October as the City of Halloween. Check out this photo essay showing their month of spooky fun.
Conway, SC © Adam Emrick
5 Tips to Make Your Small Business Saturday a Success in 2022
From social media scavenger hunts to downtown passports, the Main Street network has used countless innovative ways to encourage their communities to Shop Small®—and had plenty of fun doing it.
Oceanside, CA © Road West Photography
Community Spotlight: Staunton Stories
Staunton, VA is full of fascinating people, so when Greg Beam took over Staunton Downtown Development Association SDDA in 2019, he wanted to find a way to showcase them.
Staunton, VA © Greg Beam
Community Spotlight: Welcome Back Student Block Party with Emporia Main Street
Emporia Main Street celebrated the return of their college students with their annual Welcome Back Student Block Party.
Emporia, KS © LatinFit
Community Spotlight: Friendly City Fortune in Downtown Harrisonburg
Learn about Friendly City Fortune, Downtown Harrisonburg Renaissance's largest annual fundraiser. It provides flexible revenue for a variety of projects including art installations, façade enhancements, and small business support services.
Harrisonburg, VA © Downtown Harrisonburg Renaissance
Community Spotlight: Fostering Vibrant Main Streets through Free, Live Music
As a social impact funder, the Levitt Foundation partners with changemakers nationwide to create those destinations, leveraging the power of free, live music to amplify local pride, inject joy into underused public spaces, and foster more equitable, healthy and thriving communities.
Community Spotlight: Valentine’s Day on Main Street
A roundup of exciting, innovative, and romantic initiatives created by Main Street programs to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Siloam Springs, AR © Main Street Siloam Springs
Community Spotlight: FestivICE Connects York County Trail Towns
Learn how this exciting winter event leveraged a rail trail to bring communities together.
York, PA © Downtown Inc
Tips and Tricks to Help Make Your Small Business Saturday a Success in 2021
Is your Main Street ready for the biggest small business shopping day of the year?
Community Spotlight: 2021 Great American Haunted Main Streets
We challenged our Main Streets to tell us their downtown’s strange sightings, haunted buildings, or other paranormal activities for a chance to be named a 2021 Great American Haunted Main Street.
Main Spotlight: Local Instagram Takeovers Share Best Practices and Increase Connectivity Nationwide
Main Street America hosted our first-ever Instagram Stories Takeover, giving six Main Street organizations from around the Network direct access to our Instagram account.
Emporia, KS © Emporia Main Street
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Leveraging Social Media for Brand Awareness, EastonMainStreetDidit…and they Liked it!
The Easton Main Street Initiative, established just a decade ago and serving the riverside city of Easton, Pennsylvania, decided it was time to give ourselves a pat on the back.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
