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After getting acclimated to my new position as Executive Director for LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation (LDRC) this past August, I was thrilled to discover that posting on Facebook was one of my job duties. Since there had been a transition in the Executive Director position, Facebook and our other social media outlets did not get the attention that was needed. I was ready to take on the challenge of drawing eyes to Downtown Labelle. We received tons of hits when I posted that our local honey store, Harold P. Curtis Honey Co., remodeled their floor. Soon, the amount of views that we received became a fun obsession. I tried other posts covering happenings in town and showcased other businesses but just could not get the audience we were looking for. Our maximum number reached was about 300.
The board members and I have heard all the advice about finding that niche…that one thing that no one else has but we were at a loss as to what that was for us and our little town of LaBelle. As the new girl on the block, I wanted to get to know the board members better. We socialized and soon discovered that we were all dog lovers. We all shared photos and funny tales of our four-legged “kids.” Our President, Keitha Daniels, suggested that I make my dachshund, Fritz, our mascot. We knew we were on to something. That is the one thing that no other downtown has—an adorable wiener dog named Fritz bursting with personality!
I dove right into this project because who wouldn’t want to take their dog to work with them?! I immediately created a “dog tag” with our LDRC logo and hooked it to his collar. I snapped a photo introducing him and received 1,133 views. Jackpot! We’d gotten people’s attention. Now, it was time to use this new-found attention and direct it downtown. That first opportunity came when we were vetting rendering opinions for our park. Fritz and I traveled to the park in advance and took some photographs. We used those to announce that we were having a public meeting. That post received 817 views. He even attended the meeting at the park so folks could see him in person and get to know him. To know him is to love him, after all.
His face was starting to become familiar to people at this point, so I decided to use him to get foot traffic to our downtown businesses. I organized opportunities with business by first going in personally and discussing what I wanted to do in order to make sure that it was okay to bring in Fritz. People have fears of dogs and allergies so I never go into an establishment without consulting the employees. One of my first visits was to our local Davidson’s Dry Cleaner. I explained that I wanted to promote their business by using my dog. Thankfully, the owner was very receptive to the idea. I posted a thought bubble about his struggle to keep his dog hair off his family’s clothes. It brought in a few chuckles and about 1000 views.
LDRC hosts a free street concert once a month called Friday on Fort Thompson. The board and I agreed that we should bring Fritz to this event so he could mingle. There we discovered Fritz was quite popular and had fans! While walking around with him, we heard people calling his name and asking us to come over and say hello. So, now they knew him and us. People associate the cute dachshund trotting around town with LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation. He brings a sense of fun that is being linked to us. On the rare occasion that Fritz is not in attendance for an event, we are questioned about why he is not with us. We host a rib and chili fest in January called Smoke Under the Oaks. Several people asked why he was not there and we let them in on the secret that he is a not the angel he pretends to be and will take all the ribs for himself. News like that makes him even more likable because they can relate him to their own pets’ personalities.
Fritz has fans which means we have fans which means we found our niche! He even got the tagline #lowdowndowntown because he is so low to the ground and folks know he will announce what is happening downtown. LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation has been approached by downtown businesses asking us to bring in Fritz to promote their special offers. All of our board members are told on a regular basis that Fritz’s appearance on social media is really enjoyed and anticipated. Our local barber in town, Rick Pope from Rick’s Barber Shop, claims that Fritz is the most popular post when he logs onto his Instagram account.
Our Vice President, Sherrie Easterly, came up with the idea of having Fritz’s very own Valentine’s Day Kissing Booth as a fundraiser at our February 3rd Friday on Fort Thompson event. Fritz told his audience about a week out that he was going to be there and would only charge $1 to pucker up. People lined up to let him kiss them and donate to LDRC! We ended up collecting $42 just from his kisses. We took the opportunity to promote our pet groomer by saying that Fritz went to Head to Paw Pet Grooming to prepare for his big night. We feel it is important to tie what our community has to offer into his appearances. Fritz 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.
Fritz continues to bring in the most views on our Facebook page. If you would like to follow Fritz, you can find him at www.downtownlabelle.com, on our Facebook page, @downtownlabelle on Twitter, and labelledowntown on Instagram.
Kelly Boone is the Executive Director for LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation. She has lived in LaBelle since 2005 with her family and loves raising her twin daughters in this loving, supportive community.
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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
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.
