Board Spotlight: Meet Main Street America’s Three New Board Members
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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Dear Main Street America friends,
I figured the best way for me to introduce myself is to tell you a little bit about my neighborhood.
I love my neighborhood, and in my neighborhood, there are two streets where people spend a lot of time: Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Avenue. I live in the Wallabout / Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn near the Navy Yard, and these two streets are how a lot of people get around.
Myrtle Avenue is a commercial street, with banks, groceries, community fridges, restaurants, delis, barbershops, hair salons, laundromats, pubs, liquor stores, fruit and vegetable stands, daycare centers, pharmacies, tailors, and clothing and gift shops. There are informal flower sellers and antique sales on the sidewalks. Myrtle Avenue also has a lovely plaza, and during the winter, the business improvement district installs holiday lighting over the street. Since the pandemic, many restaurants also have “streeteries”, or tables set up on the sidewalk or in the street. The street is filled with bicyclists, delivery trucks, food delivery people on electric bikes, buses, and cars; there is always traffic and it’s lively with noise. All the trees on Myrtle Avenue have benches around them, both to protect the trees from dogs and to provide seating around the neighborhood, so on every block, there are people relaxing, chatting or enjoying a coffee or a juice under a tree. Between the business activity that spills into the sidewalk and the tree benches, the sidewalks are filled with people weaving in and out of stores, outdoor dining areas, construction areas and crosswalks.
Willoughby Avenue is the tree-lined, adjacent, parallel street that has since the pandemic become temporarily opened for pedestrians and cyclists with car access only for locals. Both of these active streets connect to the park, Fort Greene Park, where I go almost every day, and sometimes twice a day. (I’ll tell you more about Willoughby Avenue and my neighborhood park soon.)
My favorite thing about living in this neighborhood is that every time I go to work, or run out to buy some avocados at Mr. Coco or a juice at Move With Grace, or to stroll to the park, I see someone I know. Friends are out for a jog, running a quick errand, parking their bike at the end of the workday, waiting for their kids to finish martial arts class, walking the dog, or dropping their kids off at school. I love having the chance to say hello and catch up, or give a quick wave, to the people that I care about. To me, these brief moments to share a story, give eye contact and a smile, or hold the door open, that’s what makes a cluster of buildings feel like a neighborhood, and that’s what makes a bunch of people hurrying around feel like a community.
I think this is absolutely magical. The warmth of community and the frequency of seeing faces of friends and neighbors is an absolute delight. On a basic level, it makes me feel safe knowing that so many people are around looking out for one another. It also makes the hum drum of daily life more fun! But most importantly, it makes me feel connected.
Main Streets and the buildings, sidewalks, streets, businesses, trees, and streams that are the infrastructure of them are a beautifully complex container to hold our communities and all the things we need.
In case you couldn’t tell, I love people. I started my career as a community organizer, and I have loved learning about places through the stories that people share with me. A lot of my work has focused on fishing communities, river communities and water ecosystems, and the way I understand water informs a lot about how I understand the world. The more we get to know each other, I’ll share more about how I understand main streets like rivers.
I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. Three of my four grandparents are from Southwest Virginia, two near Covington and one near Big Stone Gap. My paternal grandfather was from Chicago. I went to school in Charlottesville, and then moved to Portland, Oregon, and later to New Haven, Connecticut for grad school. Over the last 15 years, I’ve led as CEO and cofounder, the nonprofit ioby, a partner organization of Main Street America dating back to 2014. Through my work at ioby, I spent a lot of time in a lot of communities, but probably none more than Memphis, Tennessee, and Cleveland, Ohio. If you know King Street in Alexandria, West Main Street and the Corner in Charlottesville, Ladd’s Addition in Portland, Broad Avenue, Main Street and Madison Avenue in Memphis, as well as the Buckeye Larchmere neighborhood in Cleveland, these, along with my neighborhood today, are some of the commercial districts that have shaped how I think about community.
What excites me most about coming into this leadership role at Main Street America is getting to know all of you, and learning from you about what is most important to your communities. It’s going to take me a while to see every single one of the 1,200+ designated Main Street America communities. And so, I was hoping you all could help me learn about you and your communities and neighborhoods through some short videos. Just pick up your phone and walk me around your Main Street. I’ll start on Myrtle Avenue. Check out my video here and share your Main Street by tagging the Main Street America social media accounts. You can also tag me on Instagram (@erinargyle) or LinkedIn (Erin Barnes).
Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this vibrant community. I know what we’re all working on together is vital to the physical, economic, social and civic health of neighborhoods, our towns, and to America.
Talk to you soon,
Erin Barnes
President and CEO, Main Street America
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Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hampton
Main Street Hampton hosted a Food and Friends Farm-to-Table dinner at the Rustic Brew during Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week.
Community Spotlight: Partners in Preservation 2018
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.
