We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.
Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.
Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!
Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
Main Spotlight: Reflections from the 2022 Community Transformation Workshop in Wyoming
Participants and MSA Staff at the workshop.
On September 14, 2022, Main Streeters from across the country convened in Wyoming for a three-day Community Transformation Workshop offered by the Main Street America Institute. The workshop provided participants the opportunity to learn and put into practice Transformation Strategies in both downtown Laramie and Cheyenne. Educational synergy by way of Main Street America expertise, local investigation, and peer sharing made it a week to remember. As a new Main Street America staff member, the workshop gave me a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the Approach and the way it helps Main Street communities. Here are five of my favorite takeaways from this year’s workshop.
Main Street Principles are Adaptive
The Main Street Approach is known for being a tool to organize the work of a local program, but the way we implement it can be a little different depending on the community we’re working with. Transformation Strategies and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems provide creative, multidisciplinary frameworks that can be adapted to commercial corridors both big and small, acting as the “middle equalizer” for communities. Regardless of where or how community transformation occurs, participants at this year’s workshop were reminded that place is always at the heart of what we do.
Organizational Sustainability Is as Important as Starting Up
Establishing a Main Street program is important work, but so is maintaining one. Despite this, participants acknowledged that Main Streeters tend to focus more on the former than the latter. Bureaucracy as an omnipresent threat was noted as a major obstacle for progress but bypassing the realm of politics is possible. Through mutual relationships with government, foundations, banks, civic clubs, universities, and other outside-the-box partners, local programs can cultivate multi-year investments to sustain ongoing transformation while also ensuring a program’s longevity. With a Transformation Strategy-driven work plan in hand, nurturing relationships with funders can be easier than ever.
Consumers are Voting with their Dollars
More than ever, what retailers do matters more than what they say. Shoppers want to spend their time and money on employers who take responsibility for social, cultural, and environmental issues. Similarly, retailers must rethink relationships with workers and create environments where people want to work. The same is true for how consumers vote with their time. People follow people they trust and who act with integrity. When developing a Transformation Strategy, it’s imperative that everyone in the community is invited to share their vision for downtown and that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are respected throughout all phases of revitalization.
Main Streets are Conveners
With a collective impact model at its core, Main Street programs have the unique power to connect organizations, access capital, support entrepreneurs, and develop volunteers. Without the coalition of the willing, burnout is inevitable. While our Main Street movement isn’t exactly rocket science, it is hard work that requires personal commitment and resilience. By promoting individual and public ownership of the revitalization journey, including Transformation Strategy identification, we can open doors and speak plain language that invites everyone into the discussion.
Revitalization is a Journey
The process is fundamental, but never complete. After adopting and implementing a Transformation Strategy, the feeling of “what’s next?” often sneaks up. The sooner we recognize that our journey is just that—a journey—the sooner we allow creativity and curiosity to take charge. The Transformation Strategy identification and implementation process should take place every two to three years to ensure that quality data and resources are being leveraged. As a result of this journey, our work is always in motion.
At the end of the workshop, participants were asked to share their “one thing” they plan to walk away with. While responses varied from placemaking to economic vitality to leadership, the common consensus revolved around the movement itself. Participants went home knowing they aren’t alone in this work, and that they have a network of support to call upon. From peers, to Coordinators, to Main Street America staff, the work is never done alone.
Urban Impact Inc., harnesses strategic investments and collaborative efforts to foster a vibrant and sustainable future, from visionary adaptive reuse ventures to transformative development grants for small businesses and property owners in Birmingham, Alabama's historic 4th Avenue Black Business District.
Online registration and the regular rate are available through Friday, April 26. Download the conference mobile app, sign-up for the attendee webinar, grab some Shop Main Street merch, get recommendations, and more!
With just a little over a month to go until we convene in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference from May 6-8, we are excited to announce that the full schedule is available online and the mobile app is ready for download.
From budgets and staffing to programming priorities and the myriad of backgrounds that bring people to Main Street, the insights and key findings from this year's trends survey provide a snapshot of the state of the Main Street Movement.
REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United share how they work to reenergize spaces and places in Birmingham, Alabama, through civic infrastructure projects in the city’s historic commercial corridors.
With a specially priced registration rate of $199, tailored education track, free lunch & learn session, and abundant networking opportunities, Main Street Now 2024 is made for civic leaders passionate about community preservation and economic development in historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial corridors.
Opportunities to experience time-tested Main Street Approach techniques and creative solutions in action abound in Birmingham with these great excursions.
Starting in early 2024, we will engage in an intensive program assessment of MSAI. We look forward to bringing an enhanced Main Street professional development experience to the network later in the year.
Founded in 2003 and currently housed within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Michigan Main Street (MMS) recently celebrated 20 years of impact across 41 communities.
This three-week live, online course will prepare local leaders to more effectively work with small business owners in their districts and create an environment that is supportive of entrepreneurship.
We are excited to share a recent collaboration with Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling exhibition curated by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program.
We are excited to welcome Jenice Contreras to the Main Street America Board of Directors. Jenice has a long record of leadership across community and economic development with deep experience with equitable growth, small-scale development, and cultural preservation.
Join Main Street America experts in Vancouver, Wash., to gain first-hand experience in harnessing transformation strategies to successfully revitalize your Main Street!
We are excited to announce that 862 Main Street programs across the country have earned Accredited status, Main Street America’s top level of recognition.
The MSARP credential is the highest level of achievement offered through the Main Street America Institute, requiring dedication to completing a rigorous curriculum of online courses, readings, assignments, workshops, and a challenging final exam.
Over the course of three days, nearly 1900 Main Streeters from near and far gathered for dynamic educational sessions, immersive mobile workshops, and network-building activities.
Check out our new shop featuring clothing and apparel, accessories, home and office goods, and kids’ and baby items inspired by the Main Street Movement.
Main Street America is proud to recognize John Bry, Program Coordinator at Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) in Michigan, as the 2023 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient.
We’re excited to announce a new suite of resources designed for Main Street! The Main Street Foundations Series provides an overview of each Point through four comprehensive introductory videos, one-page guides, materials from our resource center, and more.
From the ongoing pivots needed to meet changing community needs to the timeless power of place, these are the most popular blog posts we published this year.
At the Opening Plenary at the Main Street Now Conference in Richmond, Virginia, Patrice Frey shared lessons and reflections from her past nine years at Main Street.
Leverage NC, a partnership between North Carolina Main Street and the North Carolina League of Municipalities, hosted a four-part webinar series titled Better Community Planning & Economic Development led by Ed McMahon, Chair Emeritus of Main Street America and a leading national authority on land use policy and economic development.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
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.
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.