November, 15, 2018 | Community Spotlight: Main Street Wadsworth |
Thousands of community members gather in Main Street Wadsworth to watch the Independence Day fireworks. Photo Credit: Tom Stugmyer
Wadsworth, which is home to astronaut Mike Foreman and John D. Rockefeller’s wife, Laura Spelman Rockefeller, is a city of 23,000 residents and the third fastest-growing city in Northeast Ohio.
Since becoming Ohio’s 22nd Main Street community in 2016, Main Street Wadsworth has experienced unprecedented momentum. As a nod to its history of having the world’s largest match factory under one roof – the Ohio Match Factory, Main Street Wadsworth’s tagline is “A Downtown Unmatched” and its mission statement is to “create an unmatched downtown experience.” Over 10 new businesses have opened downtown in the past 15 months, signaling a renewed interest and confidence in the downtown district.
Launched this year, the community received widespread attention for its “Wadsworth First Friday.” The monthly series was created to increase foot traffic to downtown businesses and organizations. The four-hour long event takes place on the first Friday of each month in Wadsworth’s 6-block historic downtown business district. Fun, free, and family-friendly, “First Friday” features over 30 businesses each month – offering food, live music, art, games, raffles, and activities for visitors.
Main Street Wadsworth Executive Director Adrianne Krauss is thrilled with the event series she created as an experiment. “The event has increased sales for small businesses, enhanced relationships between residents and business owners, and has created an increased sense of community, re-establishing the downtown as the gathering place of choice for locals and visitors. It is expected that Main Street Wadsworth’s revitalization efforts, including Wadsworth First Friday, will result in an increase in residents, visitors, employees, new businesses, and overall quality of life for this fun-loving Midwest community!”
Feedback from downtown businesses has been positive, citing an increase in sales, as well as building awareness of the business mix located downtown. Krauss said, “Many First Friday visitors are walking into our downtown establishments saying, ‘I never knew this was here!’”
Main Street Wadsworth’s 2018 First Friday themes:
- January: Hot Cocoa Crawl
- February: “Soup-er” Bowl
- March: Downtown Mini Golf
- April: Once Upon a Time
- May: May the Fourth Be With You
- June: Wine, Cheese & Jazz Stroll
- July: Wadsworth Art Walk
- August: Hot Air Balloons & BBQ
- September: Pirate Palooza
- October: Oktoberfest
- November: Chocolate Walk
- December: A Victorian Christmas - Win the Window!