Identity-building projects and downtown spaces can be put to work, more fully aligning the skills and resources of willing citizens to advance the heart of your community.

Start a local conversation on Dar Williams’ book, What I Found In a Thousand Towns.

1. Share the Finding Main Street flyer with likely partners. Consider engaging partners like librarians, book stores owners, and civic clubs.
2. Download planning and promotion tools.
3. Finding Main Street Discussion Guides and access conversation-starting videos.
4. Gather to discuss the book chapter-by-chapter, using the chapter topic to showcase that component in your community and those passionate about it. Or, simply pick chapters that are most relevant to your community, exploring example communities from around the country and the Commonwealth.
5. Inventory your partnerships. What projects are bringing people together?
6. Identify new projects, partners, or underused spaces that can help you build positive proximity.
7. What’s the next steps for that effort? Pitch book-inspired projects for potential funding at Downtown Intersections in July 2019.
8. Share your own stories here at VirginiaMainStreet.com, and we might highlight your community in our ongoing statewide conversation.