Join our mailing list to receive the latest Main Street America stories, news, events, and opportunities directly in your inbox.
Connect with us
Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
Trabajamos en colaboración con miles de socios locales y líderes de base de todo el país que comparten nuestro compromiso de fomentar la prosperidad compartida, crear economías resistentes y mejorar la calidad de vida.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Formadas por pueblos pequeños, comunidades de tamaño medio y distritos comerciales urbanos, las miles de organizaciones, personas, voluntarios y líderes locales que componen Main Street America™ representan la amplia diversidad que hace que este país sea tan singular.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
¿Busca estrategias y herramientas que le ayuden en su trabajo? Sumérgete en el Centro de Recursos de Main Street y explora una amplia gama de recursos, entre los que se incluyen nuestro extenso Centro de Conocimientos, oportunidades de desarrollo profesional, ofertas de servicios sobre el terreno, apoyo a la promoción y mucho más.
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Su ventanilla única para conocer las últimas historias, noticias, eventos y oportunidades -incluidas subvenciones y programas de financiación- en Main Street.
Kendall Whittier - Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Únase a nosotros en nuestro trabajo para fomentar la prosperidad compartida, crear economías fuertes y mejorar la calidad de vida en los centros y distritos comerciales de los barrios.
Flower crawl participants hold their bouquets while they browse the merchandise in a participating retailer. © Fredericksburg Main Street
In the past year, downtown Fredericksburg has seen a drop in foot traffic. We have a historic downtown located halfway between Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. This reduction in foot traffic is coming from a decrease in visitation from the surrounding zip codes that touch Fredericksburg. After sharing this data with our Promotions Committee, we decided to start hosting a quarterly shop crawl to bring people downtown. These crawls are hosted by Fredericksburg Main Street in partnership with our city’s Economic Development and Tourism (EDT) office.
Each shop crawl is ticketed, typically between $40-$50 per person. On the day of the event, attendees check in at the Visitor Center to pick up a map showing which shops are participating, as well as a little swag or tote bag to get them started.
These downtown shopping events have taken many different forms, from a cookie crawl during the holidays to a Galentine’s Day crawl in February where each shop hosted a unique activity like wine tasting, card making, and more.
Our most recent shop crawl was a flower crawl. Drawing on inspiration from Georgetown Main Street and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, who have both hosted similar events, we hosted the Downtown Flower Crawl on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend. For this event, attendees received an individual flower at each participating shop, allowing them to build a full bouquet while they explored our downtown retailers.
So, why do we love shop crawls? And how can you implement your own flower crawl? Let’s dive into the details.
Attendees browsing a shop with their bouquets. © Fredericksburg Main Street
The goal of any shop crawl is to attract visitors to our Main Street district, support our retailers by driving foot traffic to their shops, and encourage people to move throughout our downtown.
Since we began hosting shop crawls, we’ve heard from retailers and attendees that these events have introduced customers to businesses they might not have known about or wouldn’t have normally visited. Our retailers always report they have great sales during the shop crawl, and that the event also produces additional sales later. Often, we learn people come back for gifts or something for themselves that they saw during a shop crawl.
For any shop crawl, our first priority is to recruit participation from our retailers. Since we have hosted crawls in the past, our small business owners are already familiar with this event structure. If you are new to crawls, you may need to do more significant outreach, like hosting a meeting or speaking to individual retailers in person. For each crawl, we send our retailers a simple sign-up form by email approximately 10 – 12 weeks in advance of the event date. For the flower crawl, 24 shops signed up to participate.
Next, we create an event listing on our website to give people the opportunity to purchase tickets. We use our website’s built in event calendar feature, but this could also be done with Eventbrite or another ticketing platform. Since this was the first year that we hosted the flower crawl, we limited tickets to 100 participants. We also created a Facebook event and promoted the event on social media. The event sold out!
We originally wanted to work with someone locally to source the flowers, but unfortunately, this did not work out. Instead, we created an account with a flower wholesaler in Maryland that had a large variety. This decision ensured that the crawl ticketholders received flowers that were not only vibrant and beautiful, but also unique and interesting.
We arranged to have our order arrive two days before the crawl event. Unfortunately, we were not prepared for work that needed to be done to each flower stem to make them presentable! Here is a piece of advice: have a team of board members and/or volunteers ready to help prep wholesale flowers. We ordered 2,500 stems and each one had to be prepped by hand — this included trimming the ends, pulling the leaves off the stem, and fluffing the flowers. Then, we placed them in buckets of water to ensure the blooms opened. I had two board members helping, and it took the three of us almost 12 hours over two days to prepare all the flowers.
An attendee receives their flower carrier and map at check-in. © Fredericksburg Main Street
To ensure a smooth event, we sent an email to all ticketholders a few days before with information on parking in downtown Fredericksburg and check-in details. When hosting our shop crawls, we end check-in 90 minutes before the end of the event to make sure everyone is able to complete the crawl within the event hours.
A few hours before the crawl kicked off, a board member and I delivered a bucket of flowers to each retailer along with a list of ticket holders for them to check off.
When event attendees arrived at the Visitor Center, they were greeted and checked-in using their registration name. Attendees received a map of participating retailers, a small swag bag of goodies provided by the EDT office, a few sprigs of eucalyptus and other greenery to get their bouquets started, and chip board flower carrier to keep all of their stems secured as they traveled between crawl stops.
None of the shops in our downtown are large enough to handle that many people coming in at once, so we created two different maps to alternate where people started and ended. All attendees visited the same shops, just in a different order.
After checking in, ticketholders were sent on their way from shop to shop, collecting one stem at each stop. Once they completed the crawl, they had a beautiful bouquet of flowers that included 24 flowers and a few sprigs of greenery — plus any items they purchased from our retailers!
The event was successful based on our goals, and we raised money to support our other programs. For this crawl, we charged $40 per ticket and sold 100 tickets. We spent $2,500 on flowers and supplies, leaving $1,500 to go toward Fredericksburg Main Street programs.
After the event, participating retailers reported positive results. Our post-event survey returned feedback including “sales were up,” “it made a great Saturday, which we needed,” and “we met several new customers that had never been in our shop that said they would be returning.”
Since these events limited to the number of tickets sold, they are not focused on drawing large crowds to our downtown. Instead, we emphasize increasing visibility of our shops, creating a fun and inviting atmosphere in our downtown, and encouraging people to explore the district to discover a shop they may not have known existed.
Attendees pose with their completed bouquets. © Fredericksburg Main Street
After reviewing the feedback from our shops, we are thinking about adding a few adjustments to our quarterly crawl events:
If you are interested in creating a shop crawl like this for your Main Street, here are few pieces of advice:
And there you have it! With these steps, you’re ready to host your own flower crawl and bring some flower power to your Main Street. When in doubt, focus on these key elements: shop involvement, creative planning, and a whole lot of fun.
So, what are you waiting for? Start planning, spread the word, and watch your downtown bloom! 🌸🌼🌺
Our Research team shares the results of the Spring 2024 Small Business Survey, with insights related to small scale manufacturing in Main Street districts, opportunities to best support entrepreneurs, and more.
The Dalles, Oregon © Alicia Gallo
This specialized learning experience, sponsored by U.S. Bank, combines interactive classroom sessions and a hands-on course project to equip local leaders with insights, strategies, and a a distribution-ready small business guide to foster entrepreneurship, support small business owners, and retain local businesses. Registration closes on Friday, August 30.
A storage container storefront in Jasper, Alabama. © Ryan McGill-Blanton Media Group
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sat down with Kristin Smith, owner and founder of The Wrigley Appalachian Eatery in Corbin, Kentucky.
Led by our Small Biz Digital Trainers, participants will learn how to master their digital presence to grow their businesses and build community.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Joshua and Jared Ravenscraft, co-founders of New Frontier, a sustainable apparel brand in Morehead, Kentucky.
If the economic vitality of your downtown is on your mind, Main Street America Institute’s Supporting Small Businesses on Main Street course for you! This specialized learning experience, sponsored by U.S. Bank, will give you new insights, tools, and strategies to foster entrepreneurship, support small business owners, and retain local businesses. Registration closes on Friday, August 30.
Crema Brew Coffee is a locally-owned coffee shop in New Bern, North Carolina. © Swiss Bear
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Mileyka Burgos-Flores, CEO of the Allapattah Collaborative CDC in Miami, Florida.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt chats with Ross Chanowski, owner and founder of NuMarket. NuMarket is a leader in crowdfunding solutions for small businesses with a focus on food services.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt talks with Ebenezer Akakpo, a designer and jeweler who owns Akakpo Design Group and Maine Culture in Westbrook, Maine.
American Express and Main Street America announced the 500 small business owners who have been awarded $10,000 through the Backing Small Businesses grant program.
In this conversation, Matt explores the story of Elements: Books Coffee Beer, nestled in the heart of Biddeford, Maine, with co-owners Katie Pinard and Michael Macomber.
We are asking small business owners across the country to share their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges they're facing as summer approaches.
New Morning storefront in Biddeford, Maine © Heart of Biddeford
Matt Wagner, Ph.D., breaks down how context and outreach can help you build a stronger market analysis.
In this special episode of Main Street Business Insights, recorded in front of a live audience during the Main Street Now Conference, Matt sat down with Alycia Levels-Moore, owner and founder of ASL Creative Firm and POLARIS, an event and co-working hub, based in Birmingham, Alabama.
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.
In the last episode of season two of Main Street Business Insights, tune in as host Matt Wagner breaks down how to understand and synthesize local market data.
Sterling Main Street launched a brick and mortar retail incubator spaces. Executive Director Janna Groharing shares lessons they learned about organization, fundraising, and outreach.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Glen Ellis, owner of Sycamore Education, Dominion Catalyst Services, and Milady Coffeehouse in Fremont, Nebraska.
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Jaime Courtney, Presidente de Shoalwater Seafood, Derek King, Director de la Granja de Ostras de Shoalwater Seafood, y Shane Thomas, Vicepresidente del Consejo Tribal de la Tribu Indígena de Shoalwater Bay.
Sarah Cole, propietaria de Abadir's, en Greensboro (Alabama), fue una de las beneficiarias de la subvención Backing Small Businesses 2023. Abadir's es un restaurante pop-up especializado en productos de panadería saludables y de temporada, influenciados por las tradiciones y sabores egipcios e inspirados en la auténtica cocina sureña.
En este episodio del podcast Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Casey Woods, Director Ejecutivo de Emporia Main Street en Emporia, Kansas.
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Nicole Fleetwood y McKinzie Hodges, copropietarias de Scratch Made Bakery, en Amarillo (Texas).
Tylisya Gober, propietaria de Barbie Behavior Boutique, de Oak Park (Michigan), fue una de las beneficiarias de la subvención Backing Small Businesses 2023. Barbie Behavior es una boutique de ropa femenina especializada en atuendos inspirados en famosos.
Tiffany Fixter, propietaria de Brewability en Englewood (Colorado), fue una de las beneficiarias de la subvención Backing Small Businesses 2023. Brewability es una cervecería y pizzería inclusiva que emplea a adultos con discapacidad para elaborar cerveza artesanal.
Nos complace anunciar que Main Street America seguirá ofreciendo formación virtual y a la carta para pequeñas empresas en 2024 a través de un programa evolucionado, el programa Small Biz Digital Trainers.
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Tiffany Fixter, propietaria de Brewability, una cervecería artesanal y pizzería inclusiva que emplea a adultos con discapacidad con sede en Englewood,
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Jennifer Jones, copropietaria de Good Times Coal Fired Pizza and Pub en Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Bobby Boone, fundador y estratega jefe de &Access. Con sede en Nueva Orleans, &Access crea soluciones inmobiliarias basadas en datos y centradas en el diseño para emprendedores históricamente excluidos y barrios con escasas inversiones.
Nueva Orleans, Luisiana © Bobby Boone
Tasha Sams, Directora de Programas Educativos, comparte los aspectos más destacados de la primera fase del programa Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E3) in Rural Main Streets y las principales conclusiones de los talleres.
En este vídeo, conozca mejor la historia de la familia Williams, cómo el negocio está ayudando a revivir el centro de Helena y la repercusión que están teniendo a nivel nacional.
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Janet Hurn, cofundadora de Future Ready Consulting en Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati, Ohio © Janet Hurn
En este episodio de Main Street Business Insights, Matt se sienta con Derrick Braziel, propietario de Pata Roja Taqueria y cofundador de MORTAR, en Cincinnati, Ohio.
El doctor Matt Wagner comparte sus predicciones sobre las tendencias que afectarán a las pequeñas empresas en 2024.
Matt Wagner, Director de Programas, comparte sus predicciones sobre las tendencias que afectarán a las pequeñas empresas en 2024.
Un podcast con algunos de los mejores consejos que escuchamos de empresarios y líderes comunitarios de todo el país.
Nuestro equipo de investigación comparte los resultados de la Encuesta a pequeñas empresas de otoño de 2023.
Aprenda cómo los empresarios locales han aprovechado el poder de una comunidad Main Street para establecer, mantener y hacer crecer sus empresas.
Descubra cómo esta organización ayuda a los empresarios y evita los desplazamientos.
Charlotte, NC © Pixabay
El "Small Business Saturday" es una importante oportunidad para mostrar su apoyo a las empresas locales. Hemos preguntado a empresarios de toda la red qué significa para ellos su apoyo.
Laramie, WY © Laramie Main Street Alliance
Conozca a los últimos beneficiarios del Programa de Apoyo a las Pequeñas Empresas de American Express.
Matt se sienta con Jamie y Jerry Baker, copropietarios y fundadores de Trendy Teachers, una boutique de enseñanza y juguetería educativa situada en el centro de Rome, Georgia.
Estas fiestas, reúnan a sus comunidades en torno a las pequeñas empresas que contribuyen a la prosperidad de su centro urbano.
El "Small Business Saturday" es el 25 de noviembre. Echa un vistazo a estas cinco estrategias para celebrar las compras a pequeña escala.
Middlesboro Main Street, de Middlesboro (Kentucky), Puerto Rican Cultural Center, de Chicago (Illinois), y Sugar Creek Business Association, de Charlotte (Carolina del Norte), han recibido 100.000 dólares cada una a través del Programa de Subvenciones del Acelerador de Pequeñas Empresas de Hartford, en colaboración con Main Street America.
Matt se reunió con Anette Soto Landeros, copropietaria de Casa Azul Coffee y Presidenta y Directora General de la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Fort Worth, Texas.
Matt Wagner se reunió con Danny Reynolds, presidente y propietario de Stephenson's, una tienda independiente de moda de alta gama situada en el centro de Elkhart, Indiana.
Matt Wagner se reunió con Harvey Williams, cofundador y director general de Delta Dirt Distillery, en Helena, Arkansas.
Descubra cómo el barrio Little Santo Domingo de Miami colabora con la Fundación Truist para reforzar las vías de acceso a la propiedad de pequeñas empresas.
Allapattah CDC
Prepárese para apoyar a los propietarios de pequeñas empresas y animar a la gente a comprar a pequeña escala este mes de noviembre.
Matt Wagner se sentó con la directora general de Keith McDonald Plumbing en Milledgeville, Georgia, Lindsay Goodson McDonald.
Descubra cómo el Programa Coordinador de Carolina del Sur está ayudando a las pequeñas empresas de todo el estado con su plataforma de comercio electrónico.
Main Street Carolina del Sur
Matt Wagner se sentó con el equipo del podcast The Barbershop Conversation, los copresentadores Kenneth Bentley y Davion Hampton junto con el productor ejecutivo Emory Green Jr, en Goldsboro, Florida.
Desde una cafetería para gatos hasta un taller de reparación de ordenadores y un museo, echa un vistazo a estas pequeñas empresas innovadoras de toda la red Main Street.
Valle histórico de Junction
Este curso en línea y en directo, de tres semanas de duración, preparará a los líderes locales para trabajar más eficazmente con los propietarios de pequeñas empresas de sus distritos y crear un entorno favorable al espíritu empresarial.
© Notice Pictures
¡Main Street America tiene un podcast! Sintonice Main Street Business Insights para escuchar a líderes de pequeñas empresas de todo el país.
Conozca a los beneficiarios 2023 del programa de subvenciones Backing Small Businesses, presentado por American Express, para proporcionar ayuda financiera a los propietarios de pequeñas empresas con el fin de abordar necesidades críticas y tener un impacto positivo en sus comunidades locales.
En asociación con Grow with Google, nuestros entrenadores digitales trabajarán con empresas de sus estados de origen, centrándose en las que operan en pequeñas ciudades y comunidades rurales.
Enhorabuena a estos innovadores eventos de "Compra a pequeña escala" de toda la red Main Street.
El programa Main Street Micro Grants de Spencer Main Street está inyectando financiación clave en su ecosistema de pequeñas empresas.
Spencer, IA © Calle principal de Spencer
Eche un vistazo a los resultados de nuestra Encuesta sobre la Pequeña Empresa de primavera de 2023, además de información para ayudar a informar sobre el trabajo de los líderes locales que apoyan a los empresarios en Main Street.
Sheridan, WY © Viajes y Turismo de Sheridan.
Conozca las comunidades que han sido elegidas para recibir apoyo empresarial de Main Street America y la Fundación Kauffman.
Hablamos con Debbie Ho, Directora Ejecutiva de Chinatown Main Street, para conocer la historia de las mujeres en el barrio chino de Boston.
Boston, MA © Kyle Klein
Desde los presupuestos de los programas hasta los grandes logros, he aquí los últimos datos sobre el Movimiento de Main Street en 2023.
Franklin, TN © Brandon Jean
Conozca cómo Downtown Inc y la Alianza Económica del Condado de York apoyan a los pequeños empresarios marginados de su comunidad
York, PA © Sully Pinos
Conozca a Kim y Chris Casteel, beneficiarios de Backing Small Businesses, de Anew Life Prosthetics and Orthotics, con sede en Detroit (Michigan).
Historias cortas sobre pequeños empresarios de Evart, Michigan.
Evart, MI © Storyville
Matt Wagner repasa sus predicciones para las pequeñas empresas en 2022 y comparte las predicciones para 2023.
Conozca los esfuerzos de la ciudad de Boston por invertir en equidad económica.
Descubra cómo esta comunidad de Virginia Occidental reorientó los fondos de mejora de la fachada para reactivar las cocinas comerciales locales.
Charles Town, WV © The Depot Districtr
Matt Wagner escribió un artículo para el blog de la OCDE sobre cómo los propietarios de pequeñas empresas pueden combinar las herramientas digitales con el poder del lugar para lograr un éxito sostenible.
Inspirándose en una sesión de la Conferencia Main Street Now 2022, Main Street Ottumwa ha puesto en marcha la Business Builder Academy, un curso de emprendimiento para ayudar a los aspirantes a empresarios a poner en marcha sus empresas.
Ottumwa, IA © Main Street Ottumwa
Tanto si ya es un veterano defensor del "Small Business Saturday" de American Express como si es un empresario que se une a este movimiento nacional por primera vez, hemos reunido una serie de recursos para apoyar sus esfuerzos de marketing de "comercio local".
Hablamos con tres mujeres que recibieron subvenciones de Inclusive Backing para saber más sobre sus pasiones, sus negocios y sus consejos para otras mujeres.
Wixom, MI © Carissa Serylo
Desde búsquedas del tesoro en las redes sociales hasta pasaportes para el centro de la ciudad, la red Main Street ha utilizado innumerables formas innovadoras de animar a sus comunidades a Shop Small®, y se ha divertido mucho haciéndolo.
Oceanside, CA © Road West Photography
Main Street Franklin es pionera en mostrar cómo las mujeres empresarias pueden ser una poderosa fuerza de cambio en sus comunidades.
#EquityRising, el nuevo programa de formación laboral de Old Algiers Main Street Corporation, pretende combatir el aumento del coste de la vida ayudando a los residentes a formarse en carreras que les permitan permanecer en su barrio.
Nueva Orleans, LA © Calle Mayor de Old Algiers
Descubra cómo el proyecto piloto Small Business Census ha explorado los datos demográficos de las pequeñas empresas que viven en los distritos de Main Street.
Colville, WA © Colville Together
Hablamos con tres empresarios negros que recibieron subvenciones de Main Street America y American Express para comprender mejor sus retos, sus éxitos y los tipos de apoyo que más les han ayudado.
Camden, AR © Kimberly Moore Davis
Dirigentes de Main Street y profesionales del desarrollo local de todo el mundo participaron en este interesante seminario web organizado por la OCDE.
Tulsa, OK © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Descubra cómo Silver City MainStreet utiliza Story Hours para conectar a los propietarios de negocios locales con la comunidad.
Silver City, NM © Silver City MainStreet
Main Street Skowhegan opened their new Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship, a downtown space for co-working, meeting, entrepreneurial support, trainings, and education.
Skowhegan, ME © Kristina Cannon
Main Street America is proud to support the Revitalizing Small and Local Businesses Act
Main Street America's research team shares the results of the 2022 Small Business Survey.
© JENNIFER E. WOLF
Learn about Show of Hands, an entrepreneurial program in multiple Main Street communities.
Wheeling, WV © Wheeling Heritage
Chief Program Officer Matt Wagner, Ph.D., shares his predictions for the trends affecting small businesses in 2022.
Is your Main Street ready for the biggest small business shopping day of the year?
Main Street Charles City organizes their annual 'WonderFall' event, a business decorating contest designed to have some fun with the autumnal season as well as provide a reminder of the importance of curb appeal in attracting the public’s attention.
Charles City, IA © Mark Wicks
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.
Main Street Arkansas has brewed a new engaging way for tourists and residents alike to explore local Arkansas commercial districts: the Main Street Arkansas Coffee Trail.
Little Rock, AR © Main Street Arkansas
Matt Wagner explores how Main Streets can navigate workforce concerns in the post-pandemic economy.
We spoke with two Black entrepreneurs in UrbanMain commercial districts: L. May Creations in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago and The Four Way in south Memphis, Tennessee.
Memphis, TN © Four Way
Heart of Biddeford shares the strategies they developed to support Black-owned businesses in their community.
Biddeford, ME © Corazón de Biddeford
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.
Hopewell, NM © Hopewell Downtown Partnership
The global pandemic gave us all a glimpse of a further dispersed future – a time when you don’t sit in a classroom at school, watch movies in a theater, or even go to the grocery store. Where do Main Streets fit in that model?
The COVID-19 pandemic has long-lasting effects on the economy. Here are 11 changes that small business owners should continue to remain competitive.
This May marked the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre in the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. We explored the impact and legacy of this tragic event.
Tulsa, OK © Dr. Tiffany Crutcher
Learn about the various programs and initiatives that Fremont is using to promote inclusive economic development.
Fremont, CA © Fremont Economic Development
BDOs are place-based organizations that help small businesses and entrepreneurs to flourish. They have been on the frontline of support for the country’s hardest-hit entrepreneurs throughout the pandemic and have been working to enable thriving commercial corridors throughout the crisis.
Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer at Main Street America, was featured on Breaking Down Barriers: a podcast from Startup Space highlighting stories of community leaders who break down barriers to entry for underserved and unrepresented entrepreneurs.
A vacant storefront is the perfect stage to creatively promote the available space or to showcase other businesses and events in the area.
We heard from 289 business owners in 35 states plus the District of Columbia in our new text message-based survey of small business owners across the network.
The Batavia Boardwalk Shops are freestanding, purpose-built structures acting as seasonal pop-up locations for entrepreneurs, offered in tandem with a business incubator program.
Batavia, IL © April Duda Photography
For Black History Month, we want to recognize and celebrate the Black business owners and entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges and obstacles in launching and running their own businesses, thanks to resilience, creativity, and hard work.
As a vital place factor within an entrepreneurship ecosystem, pop-up programs allow for emerging businesses to test their product, gain consumer feedback, and promote their brand at an extremely low cost. In essence, allowing for a ‘fail-fast’ product development cycle.
Asheville, NC © Ablohkin
In early December, as the COVID-19 crisis intersected with a peak moment in the holiday shopping season, we surveyed small business owners and Main Street programs to learn more about how they were managing.
© Cindy Shebley
New research by Main Street America suggests greater returns on our missions and resources can be had by transitioning to more deliberate economic vitality work centered on cultivating new business development from within our own communities and neighborhoods.
Fredericksburg Virginia Main Street (FVMS) is taking storefront activation to a new level with their new initiative, the Scan & Love Project, which tells the stories of business owners through personal and engaging videos.
Fredericksburg, VA © Dan Craddock, Metro Nova Creative
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance explores how they redesigned their Bricks & Clicks Business Retention Program during the pandemic.
Meet some amazing women business owners!
Small Business Saturday® is more than a day to shop. It’s a nationwide movement that shines a spotlight on the importance of supporting small businesses in communities across America.
The Town of Benson started a special project to highlight their downtown businesses.
The Berkley Downtown Development Authority (DDA) proudly debuted its Downtown Berkley Shopping Bag for a Cause through a partnership between Better Life Bags.
Supporting new and existing small businesses, and the entrepreneurs who run them, represents a vital aspect of the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood business districts.
The Equitable Economic Development Fellowship is a two-year, one million-dollar effort funded by the Surdna Foundation and the Open Society Foundations to help equity, transparency, sustainability and community engagement become driving forces in local economic development efforts.
The Jefferson Rotary Club partnered with Jefferson Matters: Main Street to offer mini-grants for building facades and storefront signage to two dozen businesses for up to $500 each.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with Retailworks, Inc., a commercial interior design, display and branding firm headquartered in Milwaukee, to launch Wisconsin’s Main Street Makeover Contest.
Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid shares more about the Maker Trail project and how it inspired creativity and helped people discover downtown.
Too often, as we’re strolling our favorite Main Street, we pass empty or dark shop windows that make us want to hurry home a little bit faster. Imagine instead, a charming streetscape adorned with vibrant, lively window displays, showcasing retailers’ favorite products and seasonal gift ideas.
Small Business Saturday promo pic from Downtown Goldsboro, North Carolina, showing all the folks who took the pledge support a small business in their community.
We’ve put together a practical list of some of the things that local store owners can do right now to help them capitalize on this increasing trend in local searches.
From authentic comfort food to farm-to-fork fresh and everything in between, these restaurants, bars, and cafes are key to the thriving social, business, and residential life in the historic commercial districts in Main Street Iowa communities.
Located in southeast Kansas, Independence (pop.8,799) is home to Fab Lab ICC, which is on track to be the world’s leading innovator in combining entrepreneurial mindset education with a fab lab maker space.
The craft beer industry is playing a key role in the rebirth of Main Streets and neighborhood commercial districts across the county.
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
Being the only person in the know can be fun, exhilarating even. Except when you are the one person out of 600+ in a room and you know bad news is coming.
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.
Altavista On Track, the local Main Street organization, is working to cultivate and sustain local entrepreneurs with an educational business launch competition, Pop-Up Altavista 2.0.
In Winchester, Virginia, one woman’s vision and commitment to downtown’s revitalization created an innovative community space for the Creative Class.
Un plan de retención y expansión empresarial, aplicado correctamente, no sólo ayuda a mantener abiertas las empresas, sino que posiblemente incluso les ayude a expandirse.
La primera regla para hacer negocios es "hazlo sencillo". Cuanto más fácil sea pagar una mercancía, entretenerse u obtener un servicio, más probable será que la gente aproveche esas opciones.
Las comunidades de Main Street de todo el país no son ajenas a la búsqueda de estrategias creativas para resolver sus problemas más acuciantes: edificios vacíos, comercialización del centro, refuerzo del comercio minorista, por nombrar algunos.
Para comprender el papel que desempeñan los empresarios inmigrantes en el ecosistema de la pequeña empresa de Boston, basta con pasear por cualquier distrito de Boston Main Streets.
La apariencia de las fachadas es un aspecto crítico del atractivo estético general y del carácter único del centro de la ciudad.
Para que un centro de ciudad funcione bien hacen falta muchos carteles, pero no todas las comunidades saben cómo es un buen sistema de señalización ni lo decisivo que puede ser para crear un centro de ciudad de éxito.
Main Street Iowa, un programa del Iowa Downtown Resource Center de la Iowa Economic Development Authority, creó un programa único de tres años de duración para ayudar a los locales de espectáculos situados en los distritos de Main Street.
