Downtown – Page 22 – Virginia Main Street

Downtown Lynchburg shines for cabinet community day

October 22, 2009

Governor Timothy M. Kaine, his cabinet and members of his senior staff conducted their sixteenth and final Cabinet Community Day on a sundrenched, autumn Tuesday, Oct. 20 in downtown Lynchburg. The Governor holds four Cabinet Community Days every year, visiting eight regions of the state twice over the course of the administration. Executive Director Angela … More Downtown Lynchburg shines for cabinet community day

It’s getting scary downtown

October 20, 2009

So blend the turrets and shadows there That all seem pendulous in air, While from a proud tower in the town Death looks gigantically down. Some words from Edgar Allan Poe (“The City in the Sea”, 1845) warm us up for the tricks, treats, and other Halloween horrors planned on Main Street this year. First, … More It’s getting scary downtown

Abingdon puts policy tools to work

October 7, 2009

Public policy can direct private investment. By creating opportunities and incentives that align with a community’s economic development strategy, a locality, whether small or large, can put the tools in place to turn the vision into a reality. Abingdon, the historic Washington County town, recently approved two new tax credits to help local property owners … More Abingdon puts policy tools to work

Take the Holiday Retail Poll

September 8, 2009

Turning the economy on its head

August 31, 2009

Fast Company reports that Facebook is increasing its staff by 50 percent. The nearly 500-employee increase is substantial in a good economy, and in current recessionary times, it’s a flat out boon. But why, at a time when ad revenues are down, would an expansion like this make sense? For one, costs of doing business … More Turning the economy on its head

Entrepreneurial stories

August 28, 2009

We have been promoting the idea that recessions and layoffs, while very difficult to navigate, provide the impetus for an entrepreneurial boom. Now, the Kauffman Foundation has issued its report supporting our claims. In economic gardening terms, this is the equivilant of burning last years crops to make way for the new “green shoots.” … More Entrepreneurial stories

Seventy get strategic at Winchester Toolkit

August 21, 2009

Revitalization experts, downtown professionals and volunteers came together for two days of focused exploration of Main Street strategies at the 2009 Virginia Main Street toolkit, “Getting Strategic About Main Street.” Participants represented more than 25 Virginia localities. Communities with the highest representation included included the host community of Winchester, Harrisonburg (four attendees), Radford (three), and Franklin … More Seventy get strategic at Winchester Toolkit

New York rethinks Broadway

August 14, 2009

As the song says, if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere. If the Big Apple can make a park-like setting out of one of the city’s busiest streets, what’s to stop your town from making a pro-people shift in one of your important spaces? Of course we need cars and trucks, delivery access and … More New York rethinks Broadway