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We are excited to welcome Lynda Tran, Tyrone Rachal, and Mary Helmer Wirth to the Main Street America Board of Directors
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“My first #mainstreetnow conference has been amazing. The education content has been spot on. The relationship building has been exactly what I needed for 2 1/2 months in. Thank you to everyone who helped pave the way!” - Alicia Calhoun, Elkton Alliance, Inc.
Last month, Main Street America—in partnership with the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion (OEOI) and Boston Main Streets Foundation—hosted the 2023 Main Street Now Conference in Boston, Mass. And what an incredible experience it was! 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. We also celebrated a multitude of accomplishments, acknowledged the unique attributes of the Boston Main Streets program, and reflected on our individual and collective duties to advance an inclusive, sustainable, and equitable movement.
Recap: Memorable Moments from the Opening Plenary to the Big Bash
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Main Street Now 2023 officially started on Monday, March 27, with an Opening Plenary filled with incredible energy and inspiring remarks. Main Street America’s Interim President and CEO Hannah White provided a new way to contextualize the collective impact of this movement. City of Boston speakers included Aliesha Porcena, Director of Small Business, who encouraged attendees to explore Boston's 23 neighborhoods; Mayor Michelle Wu shared her strategies to foster equitable economic opportunity and Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola passionately invited us to embrace the multifaceted identities of this town and our hometowns. And we were thrilled to close out the program by announcing the recipients of the 2023 Great American Main Street Award. Congratulations again to River District Association in Danville, Virginia; Metuchen Downtown Alliance in Metuchen, New Jersey; and Downtown Florence Main Street in Florence, South Carolina!
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The following day we were back in the Grand Ballroom for the Main Idea session all about community wealth building and shared prosperity. Dionne Baux, Vice President of Urban Development at Main Street America, opened the session and welcomed Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu to the stage, who described the City of Boston's commitment to equity, inclusion, and broad generational wealth building. Next, remarks by and conversation between Whitney Kimball Coe of the Center for Rural Strategies and Fay Horwitt of Forward Cities explored bottom-up approaches to building equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems and cultivating cultures of abundance in communities of all sizes. Tuesday also featured an engaging Civic Leader Lunch, three mobile workshops, the opening of the Expo Hall and conference bookstore, and a lively Exhibitor Reception.
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Wednesday marked the final day of the conference and was a whirlwind of activity! Main Streeters attended 47 sessions, including one that doubled as the live recording of an episode of Main Street Business Insights, our new podcast featuring stories of America’s downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs that is set to debut later this spring. Attendees also participated in enriching mobile workshops in Roslindale Village, Brighton, and Mission Hill, and turned out for a memorable Closing Plenary. We were captivated by Liz Ogbu's enriching keynote remarks about spatial justice and healing, and we celebrated the accomplishments of our colleagues who earned MSARP credentials and John Bry, the 2023 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient. Then it was off to the Big Bash for great food and libations, engaging conversation, delightful music, and visiting the residents of the New England Aquarium.
Reflections from Hannah White
Over the last few weeks, since heading home from the conference, I have been thinking about why this one felt so special. Of course, as Interim President and CEO, my own role and experience of the conference was distinctly different this year. Nevertheless, there was an incredible buzz and I know from talking to many others that they felt it too. It may have had something to do with our scale – this was the largest Main Street conference ever! Boston itself, our amazing host city, and its wonderful neighborhoods contributed to that feeling as well. And of course, the 130+ education sessions, plenaries, and mobile workshops provided immense value.
But I think much of the magic this year came from the passion, openness, and feeling of community that the audience brought. And the ways in which that spirit was invited into conversation with a broad diversity of ideas and perspectives – during sessions, at events, and in so many chance encounters in hotel hallways (or perhaps, in line for those long-awaited elevators).
It's that energy that I plan on taking with me into my own work and the work of MSA in the coming year. That sense of a collective mission and a common commitment. The conviction that achieving our vision of equitable and vibrant Main Streets is possible, but only if we have the perspective and humility to understand that doing so will require a broader tent and centering community in everything we do.
I look forward to continuing our good work in the coming year, and welcoming you all to Birmingham in 2024!
“Just wrapped up a great few days attending the 2023 Main Street Now conference in Boston...This year the conference had a record breaking 1,900 attendees and just within Boston there are 20 Main Street programs at work. This tells me the power of the Main Street movement is working effectively and more communities are revitalizing their downtowns. So encouraging and exciting!” - Kim McAuliffe, City of Georgetown
Relive the Conference
Visit the Main Street Now Conference Facebook page for more Main Street Now 2023 photos >
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From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
7 Ways To Bring Your Main Street On Screen
You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
Comcast Newsmakers: Revitalizing Downtown
Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center's Vice President of Revitalization Programs, discusses competitive advantages, incrementalism and the power of the Main Street America network
Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
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 Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
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.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
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.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
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.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
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.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
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
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
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.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
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.
