Main Street communities are much more than picturesque avenues with historic charm and walkable sidewalks. They are vibrant corridors with strong community pride and a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem that are lifelines for small businesses—providing support and resources essential to their success.
An entrepreneurial ecosystem is the alignment of a variety of public and private efforts—including government policies, funding and finance, human capital, and regulatory frameworks—to provide necessary financial, social, and human capital to foster entrepreneurship. And while all of these factors are equally important, we cannot overlook the value of place and the physical environment. Historic downtown or commercial corridors with their concentration of buildings and businesses, unique character, and walkable layout, offer a competitive advantage by fostering personalized and experiential shopping that’s very appealing to today’s consumer.
Main Streets do such a great job supporting local, small businesses that we often see business expansions across multiple Main Street communities. Fillagreen, a refillery specializing in sustainable products and bulk refills with a focus on elimination of single-use plastics, is a recent example of this. After seeing success in historic Manassas, owners Beverly and John Hicks began exploring expansion opportunities. They had their eyes set on opening a second location in John’s hometown of Fredericksburg, a fellow Virginia Main Street (VMS) community, but were having a hard time finding available retail space in the historic downtown.
Through the VMS network, Kristen Kiefer, Executive Director of Historic Manassas Inc., reached out to her counterpart at Fredericksburg Main Street, Chris Allen. Chris was quickly able to connect Fillagreen with a property owner that had a move-in ready retail location on Caroline Street. Fillagreen’s second location is set to open this month, and they are excited to bring zero-waste and single-use plastic-free shopping to Fredericksburg.
“At Fillagreen, we value the role that communities play in our success, and we specifically set out to create a business that creates and prioritizes communities. This is exactly why our opportunity to expand to Fredericksburg was so valuable. It was through a connected community of people that helped us identify another Main Street location that is vibrant, active, and all of the things we are looking for. We would not be where we are without the help of Main Street America and the participating local groups. We look forward to contributing back in any way we can to continue to build strong and successful Main Street communities.” – John Hicks, Owner of Fillagreen
Fillagreen is just one example of a small, locally owned business that has found a home in more than one VMS community. Main Streets foster a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and play a pivotal role in nurturing local economic vitality, and the synergy between Manassas and Fredericksburg showcases another one of the many benefits of being part of the Main Street Network.
Photo credit: Doug Stroud, Prince William Times
Virginia Main Street 