What happens when you team artists with local arts, culture and social organizations and task them with creating an innovative street gallery in vacant storefronts? On June 25, Staunton visitors and residents will find out, as a month-long exhibit opens in the empty windows along Beverley Street. For a downtown braving a major construction project, … More Staunton’s storefront art initiative
Historic preservation is gaining popular recognition as a “green” practice connected to broader sustainability goals. After all, reuse of a historic building is fundamental recycling. From a national perspective, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has created a Sustainability and Historic Preservation Web resource for homeowners, Main Street communities and preservation planners. Now Virginia can … More Virginia Preservation Toolkit, a green guide?
If you were asked to describe an entrepreneur, what words would you use? Maybe terms like “bright, energetic, or magnetic.” This 2004 article in the aptly named magazine Entrepreneur, gives a whole host of other terms, not all of them complimentary. Two descriptions of an entrepreneur that most people would not use are “ex-felon,” and … More The unexpected entrepreneur
Altavista arose in the late 19th century, soon after the regional Virginian Railway extended an east-west line, intersecting with the Southern Railway, a major east coast corridor. The Lane brothers, realizing the commercial opportunity, purchased 2,000 acres at the junction, and proceeded to build Altavista and the Lane Home Furnishings from a fledgling cedar chest … More Altavista’s first historic district
Last Thursday, at the Virginia Main Street 25th Anniversary Milestone Achievement Awards, keynote speaker Chuck D’Aprix spoke about the importance of making your downtown attractive to entrepreneurs. One way to do this is to focus on the quality of the experience rather than the quantity of products you sell. In short, it is difficult to compete … More Quality v. quantity
This month, the Virginia Municipal Leagues’ magazine, Virginia Town and City, features a cover story on the revitalization of Downtown Marion. The subhead reads: “Downtown success story wasn’t written overnight,” and the article, by Marion Downtown Revitalization Association Executive Director Ken Heath, stresses the deliberate, step-by-step approach the community has taken to bring visitors downtown to … More Marion’s revitalization path highlighted by municipal league
Berryville has caught on to the economic development potential of the arts. On Jan. 9 Berryville Main Street (BMS) held a grand opening of the Fire House Gallery and Shop with wide-eyed enthusiasm. After all, this latest project is a new direction for the organization. The Fire House is a public-private project initiated by the … More Berryville Main Street embraces the arts
With sub-freezing temperatures and snow covered lawns, it’s kind of hard right now to imagine the vine ripened, farm fresh tomatoes that will be sold at Virginia’s farmers’ markets this summer. But for those in charge of the community market, the dark days of winter are a good time to to prepare for your best season ever. For inspiration: check out … More Farmers’ markets around the world and close to home
Downtown Blackstone, Inc. (DBI) has been full of activity this holiday season, successfully coordinating retail promotions and image building events. The Second Annual Downtown Holiday Open House kicked off the season November 27. Following the Grand Illumination in the town park, DBi drew crowds into downtown by coordinating activities with the local merchants, such as carriage rides, choral … More Blackstone holiday events keep local elves busy
Virginia Main Street 