On November 26, 2022, communities across the country will rally around local businesses during this year’s Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting small businesses. You might not realize it, but every time you pick up a cup of coffee from your favorite neighborhood cafe or buy a gift from a local artist’s online … More Rally Your Community for Small Business Saturday!

What does it mean to be a “Development Ready” community? The second webinar of our three-part series helped localities begin to answer that thought-provoking question. Guest speaker Joe Borgstrom, Principal at Place + Main Advisors, LLC, showed participants how to find and market to experienced developers who will help the community meet their vision. Here … More Development Ready Webinar Series (Part 2): Marketing and Promotion for Attracting Developers

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Virginia Main Street (VMS) grants for 16 communities, totaling more than $257,000, and $180,000 in Community Business Launch (CBL) grants for three communities. These awards will help to revitalize historic commercial districts, expand small businesses, train entrepreneurs and bolster local economies across the Commonwealth. “For over 30 years, the Virginia Main … More BREAKING NEWS! 2023 Virginia Main Street and Community Business Launch Grants Announced

The Made in Bristol brand encompasses all small-scale production and manufacturing businesses in Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee. It has helped put Bristol on the map and made it easier for local producers and manufactures to thrive and promote their products outside of the local community. The City of Bristol, in partnership with Believe in Bristol … More “Made in Bristol” Supports Small-Scale Producers

What does it mean to be a “Development Ready” community? The first webinar of our three-part series helped localities begin to answer that thought-provoking question. Guest speakers Elizabeth Williams and Neil Heller, both of whom are faculty members at the Incremental Development Alliance (IDA), walked participants through the what, why and where of incremental development, … More Development Ready Webinar Series (Part 1): Small-Scale Incremental Development Recap

While we have always been tremendously proud of our community development, real estatedevelopment, and economic development work, we can now add “award winning” to our programming!The Economic Development and Community Vitality team at Virginia Department of Housing andCommunity Development is thrilled to announce that at the International Economic DevelopmentCouncil (IEDC) annual conference in Oklahoma City, … More DHCD Programs Win IEDC Awards!

Happy Friday, Main Street friends! The Community Vitality Office (CVO) team posted fifteen (15) post this month. Did you miss any of them? If so, don’t worry we’ve got you covered ! Catch up here with this month’s edition of “In Case You Missed It!” NEWS : UPCOMING EVENTS: As the month comes to a … More In Case You Missed It: September 2022 Digest

Planning your local food trip? Use the new Virginia Farmers Market Trail app to find farmers markets near you! Developed by the Virginia Farmers Market Association (VAFMA), Virginia State University (VSU) and the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), this mobile app helps farmers market lovers find Virginia’s vibrant markets, family-friendly agritourism operations and world-class farm-to-table restaurants. … More Plan Your Next Local Food Trip With the Virginia Farmers Market Trail App

Do you have a transportation issue in your community? Are you looking to develop the right-sized solution? The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently launched a new pilot program, called the Ready, Set, Go! Grant, designed to assist Virginia’s smaller-sized communities in identifying, evaluating and reporting achievable, affordable and targeted non-motorized improvements. If selected for … More Application Now Open for VDOT Ready, Set, Go! Transportation Alternatives Grant Program

Hopewell Downtown Partnership (HDP), a Community Business Launch (CBL) grantee for 2022, hosted two grand openings this week at its regularly scheduled Third Thursdays Street Festival. City Point Ice Cream and Burgers owners Phillip and Lexi Hughes, and Jonathan Montiel, and Artisan Alley owner Ann Audrey Eliades Kirk both received funding from the Homegrown in … More Hopewell celebrates two CBL grand openings during Third Thursday street festival