Virginia Main Street

Todd has served as the Executive Director of Downtown Wytheville, Inc. for eight years and has learned more in those years than any other time in his career about people, personalities, and politics. In 2022, he was selected as recipient of Main Street America‘s (MSA) prestigious Mary Means Leadership Award for his creative energy, strategic mindset, and coalition-building approach as a Main Street director.

Small business is a direct reflection in the health of our communities. I could go on and on about this very topic, and as Main Street organizations, we wouldn’t do what we do on a daily basis if this wasn’t the case. I’m of the belief that the health of small business is a direct reflection of the overall well-being of a community. We live in a world of cell phones and technology that makes everything easier and more accommodating every day. In turn, this has disabled for many, the need to socially interact and gather in spaces that promote connectivity because we are now a click away from everything we could ever need. But, there are still many consumers who want an experience, an interaction, a place to socialize and gather; that, if done correctly, is where small business and downtowns can thrive. We as communities must cultivate the atmosphere that makes us unique and a place where people want to be. In a world where people are plugged in 24-7, many folks still want that one-off experience, something they can’t get anywhere else. Main Streets and downtown business districts facilitate and create those opportunities, which are often replicated through strip malls and other urban sprawl tactics that we see in many communities. Those very developments can never be the heart of community, they can only drive economic opportunity and vitality away from it. We must focus on keeping the heart strong and try to develop in a responsible way that allows our downtowns to remain alive and viable in an ever changing world.

Creating an experience destination is essentially the goal in small towns and Main Street districts across America. In my travels, I’ve seen some do it really well, and others who have totally missed the opportunity. I think this is what we can all relate to as Main Street directors in our respective communities. We can change the landscape and promote opportunities through public and private investment, but if we are not creating an experience or a sense of place for our locals and visitors alike, we are missing the boat. More and more people want to live, shop, and play, and downtowns with a strong business mix can’t be replicated when it comes to that factor. We need to communicate, share ideas, and learn from communities who do it well and focus on areas of improvement that can help implement change locally and in a responsible way. As representatives of organizations that are promoting and cultivating change, we know this doesn’t happen overnight, as much as the general public wants to believe it does. Things of this nature take time to envision, create, and implement. We sometimes refer to it as the “all in” strategy. If everyone is all in with a vision to achieve a positive end result, we can virtually overcome and achieve anything as a community.

Promoting the “support local” initiative is something that we celebrate as an organization on a daily basis. We value strong partnerships with the business community. As an organization that promotes positive change, we must further and promote that vision to our small business community through incentives, entrepreneurship development, events, and other services that help support and sustain and build rapport with our local business. You will often find Main Street staff in the businesses, working one-on-one with business and property owners to identify issues and be a catalyst to find solutions when situations arise, all the while, building trust and positive working relationships along the way. I think that’s where Main Street organizations differ from other organizations: we are hands on, in the trenches with businesses, creating solutions, sometimes going further than we should to support a business or property owner, but that’s okay. We need to be able to say we did everything we could to educate and help our small business community survive and thrive, and good organizations go the extra mile. We need to treat our organizations as a business, and we are what we advocate and promote so we shouldn’t view ourselves any differently than those we support. We need them as much as they need us.

Supporting local is more than just a hashtag, it is a lifestyle. We have all seen those who post a picture on social media, usually around Small Business Saturday or the holiday shopping season showing their support for local businesses. Of course, this is great and the cool, hip thing to do is “support local,” but are these folks supporting more than one or two days a year? Many often claim to support local, but are they really supporting to the level that truly helps a small business remain sustainable for the long term? That’s the question we must ask ourselves. The majority of the time the answer is “not exactly.” As consumers, we must make a conscious effort to do so. As eluded to earlier, the world is becoming a one-click society, and that’s honestly not a good thing when it comes to supporting and sustaining local. It is really much more than just small business; we are supporting local families, and we are aiding in supporting our local economy. It is about keeping that dollar local, as it travels and makes much more of an impact locally than the alternative. So whether you think you support local or you can truly say you do, we must always remember to make a conscious effort to think local and buy local first if the option is available. It’s literally what keeps a community alive and thriving!

At the end of the day, it’s very simple, if we don’t support our local business community outside of Small Business Saturday and other one off situations, that atmosphere and unique sense of place and built environment that we have all worked so hard to create will suffer, and we will see businesses and entrepreneurial dreams go by the wayside. It’s up to us as communities to educate our locals, as well as extend our support to our local businesses on co-op and collective marketing efforts as organizations and key stakeholders.

As Small Business Saturday is on the horizon, let that be a reminder to make a conscious effort to sustainably support local business on that day, the next day and every day that you can. That one extra product you buy, that sandwich or baked good that you eat, goes so much further when it’s local. Think local, be local, buy local, every chance you can. Collectively, we can all make a difference in the outcome of our communities. Let’s come together and do so every chance we get!

In 2019, the Brookings Institution featured an article written by Jenna Temkin, Associate Manager of Marketing and Outreach at Main Street America, on how Wytheville is using entrepreneurship to boost its local economy. Click here to check out the article and learn more about this Virginia Main Street (VMS) Community. 

Image Credit (1 – 3): Downtown Wytheville, Inc.

Image Credit (Downtown Wytheville Aerial View): In-Depth Productions