Join us May 6 – 8 in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference!
Register
Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
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.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
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.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
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!
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.
Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
Recently, the small city of Milford, Delaware has become home to an increasing number of immigrants from Haiti and Central America. The local Main Street organization, Downtown Milford Inc., is trying to address these shifting demographics by creating a more inclusive sense of community.
Part of Downtown Milford Inc.’s strategy is to redefine Milford as a diverse community by celebrating and embracing cultural differences. Community engagement was the first and most important part of this initiative. Therefore, the diversity initiative started by asking questions about community through surveys, local business owner interviews and discussions with partner organizations. These conversations led to several different projects throughout the year but the biggest undertaking was a 24 by 12-foot mural installed on the outside of a downtown restaurant.
Public art can do much more then beautify a downtown. It can provide an opportunity for culture and community to interact. The We Are Milford Mural is a visual representation of a new community identity, one that encompasses far more cultures and backgrounds then before but still embodies the city’s slogan ‘River Town, Art Town, Home Town’. The 288 square foot mural features town landmarks, such as the Mispillion river and Milford Water Tower, as well as music and dancers from different cultural backgrounds. The project takes its title for the #WeAreMilford hashtag that is used on social media at community events. In the past, people have faced criticism for using the hashtag at events that have not been viewed as inclusive. Using ‘We Are Milford’ as the title of the mural allowed us to address those criticisms and assert that Downtown Milford Inc. vision of community as one that is both diverse and inclusive.
Student Christian Barron; Artists Lori Conner, DeMarcus Shelborne and Gilberto Rodriguez
The process of making the mural was just as important as the final product. From the beginning the mural was a collaborative project engaging local artists, main street businesses, community leaders and youth. In recruiting volunteers for the project we made sure that those involved reflected the town’s diversity. We first contacted the local Mispillion Art League for guidance. With their help found two of the three muralists, Lori Conner and Gilberto Rodriguez, and were lucky enough to stumble upon the third, DeMarcus Shelborne, while doing outreach for a different project.
The next step was to find funding for the three-thousand-dollar project. Using just her community network, one of our committee members, Irma Barriga was able to meet our funding goals by reaching out to local businesses for financial support and in kind donations. The last step was to find student apprentices. We worked with local art teachers to
recruit six talented young student artists from Milford High School.
Students Jasmine Castaneda and Esther Lee work with artist DeMarcus Shelborne
The most difficult part of the project was finding a place for the mural, a wall that was both centrally located and visible to anyone walking, biking or driving through town. Several walls which would work were identified, but only one of the business owners we contacted was as excited about the project as we were. Local restaurant owner, Ramsey Schrader put his full support behind the project and allowed us install the mural on the outside of his restaurant.
It took 8 months to go from an idea to a completed mural. The mural was painted on 9 panels of plywood in our small main street office. Artists and students had to work in shifts. Towards the end of the project, when time was running out they stayed late nights to finish the mural on time. The incredible amount of time and effort that went into the project created friendships and a sense of community.
There was excitement and support for the project from the whole community. Regular updates on the mural’s progress were shared with residents through social media and the local press. People often came by the office to look at the mural and meet the artists. At the unveiling on April 10th over 100 people came to see the mural for the first time.
We Are Milford Mural; photo by Gervasio Ruiz
Using public art as a catalyst, Downtown Milford Inc. attempted to engage as many people as possible from different backgrounds in one conversation about who we are as a community and what we value. Most of the artists, students and major donors involved in the mural project had never been asked to be involved in Main Street activities before. The mural provided an opportunity to attract new volunteers and build relationships as well as a create a sense of pride around culture and community in Milford. Redefining Milford as a city which embraces and celebrates diversity will take much more than one project but the overwhelmingly positive feedback from many residents about the We Are Milford Mural makes me believe that an important change has started in Milford.
For more information about the We Are Milford Mural Project, including interviews with the artists, visit http://downtownmilford.org/events/milford-strolls/muralproject/.
Noa Julia Kornbluh is completing a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Delaware Economic Development Office’s Downtown Delaware program. Her focus is on expanding community outreach for Milford, Delaware’s Main Street organization, Downtown Milford Incorporated.
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.
Learn how this Louisiana town has used an accessibility-first approach to build a welcoming and inclusive community.
Downtown Ruston, Louisiana. Photo by Henry McCoy.
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.
Learn how micromobility can increase access, equity, and inclusion in your Main Street with examples from local programs across the network.
This Washington Main Street is encouraging people to brave the rainy weather with their free umbrella share program.
Parking is a challenging problem for many Main Streets. We explored the arguments for and against free parking, and a method for conducting an inventory of parking in your downtown.
Miami, FL © Matt Alaniz
Learn how Bainbridge Island Downtown Association leverages their connection to the ferry to create a walkable and vibrant downtown.
Bainbridge Island, WA © Anna Carson
An innovative artistic project brings new life to the alleyways in Billings, Montana.
Billings, MT © Downtown Billings Alliance
In big cities and small towns, people face increasing danger when navigating communities on foot. As advocates for connected and walkable downtowns, Main Streets have a crucial role to play in increasing pedestrian safety.
Lansing, Michigan © Lansing 5:01
Learn how you can participate in the Thriving Communities program as a capacity builder or how you can receive support from the program.
To celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month, we explored three innovative and interesting parks-based projects and collaborations in Main Street communities.
Waterloo, Iowa, shares advice and lessons learned from their e-scooter program.
Learn how you can harness design principles and strategies to create a cooler, more welcoming downtown.
Main Street America was awarded $5.9 million to support 20 communities in the Main Streets Community of Practice through the Department of Transportation's Thriving Communities Program over the next two years.
The City of Leeds, AL welcomed a new downtown mural over the holidays that has brought a sense of excitement and anticipation for the continuing efforts to focus on the Leeds downtown district.
Leeds, AL © Jeremy Dove
What is more Iowan than turning grain bins into public art? Learn how Main Street Coon Rapids created these beautiful murals to celebrate their downtown.
Coon Rapids, IA © Main Street Coon Rapids
Pollinator gardens are fantastic ways to increase green space, promote sustainability, and educate your community on the local environment.
Crofton, MD © Kerry Kelly
The AARP Community Challenge program gives out quick-action grants to activate public spaces. Meet some of the Main Streets awarded grants through the program this year.
Learn how these outdoor microspaces can contribute to more vibrancy in our public spaces.
Chairman Emeritus Ed McMahon explores the power of place in creating spaces people love.
Boise, ID © christiannafzger
To support Georgia Main Streets throughout the recovery process and position them for long-term sustainability, Main Street America launched the Georgia Main Street Innovation Grant Program, made possible through generous support from The Williams Family Foundation of Georgia.
Thomasville, GA © Thomasville Main Street
Intentional placemaking has had many unexpected benefits for this Alabama town.
Wetumpka, AL © Jenny Sue Stubbs
We heard from organizations across the nation about the incredible impact their markets have had on community engagement, entrepreneur and small business support, and keeping their district vibrant.
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
In contrast, the Main Street Program in Laramie, Wyoming, is thriving, having successfully cultivated millions of dollars to help fill these vacant, blighted spaces with permanent structures.
In this article we’ll explore the process of planning, funding, installing, operating, and enjoying music on your Main Street.
In 2016, the North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center partnered with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Interior Architecture (UNCG) to provide design assistance to Main Street communities.
Placemaking is a strategy that Six Corners Association has enthusiastically applied to our community development efforts because of its seamless integration with the Main Street Approach.
How one Wyoming Main Street implemented a free bike share program.
In 2015, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to engage Wisconsin Main Street organizations and farmers markets in the Metrics and Indicators for Impact – Farmers Markets (MIFI-FM) toolkit.
This is the story of how a National Endowment for the Arts gathering in DC inspired the leaders of a small town in Appalachia to connect with those in Milwaukee to transform a neglected park.
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
This article is the second in a series on corridors and the important role they play in Main Street revitalization. The previous article focused on the historic origins of corridors, corridor types, and functions that they serve in our communities.
Façade appearance is a critical aspect of the overall aesthetic appeal and unique character of downtown.
While the Main Street program may not take the lead in corridor enhancements, it can be a vital partner and advocate for improvements in overall community appearance.
Street pole banners preserve the historic character of main streets while fostering community awareness and engagement.
With strong community support, the Library Foundation was able to raise over $1.2 million dollars in private donations.
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
A key goal of the Atlanta Streetcar is to attract investment to and revitalize the neighborhoods along the streetcar alignment.
