Category: Economic Restructuring

Town and gown topic of VDDA Annual Workshop June 7-8

May 19, 2011

Lexington, Virginia has served as the home of Washington and Lee University since 1780 and Virginia Military Institute since 1839. This historic downtown is a great location to ponder the nexus between downtown revitalization, community development, and higher education. On June 7 and 8, Virginia Downtown Development Association (VDDA) will do just that at its Annual Workshop, this year titled, “Melding Town and … More Town and gown topic of VDDA Annual Workshop June 7-8

Uptown Martinsville’s Downtown Improvement Grant at work

April 26, 2011

Virginia Main Street’s Downtown Improvement Grant provided Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association (MURA)  an opportunity to roll out a long-planned district awareness and shop local campaign. The effort, broadly dubbed “This is Uptown,” includes a number of strategies, such as a loyalty card offering discounts with merchants across the district. The free cards are limited to 500, 350 of which … More Uptown Martinsville’s Downtown Improvement Grant at work

Resources for Small Business Financing

April 22, 2011

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (FRB) recently posted an issue of Marketwise Community, a web publication which highlights community development best practices  and emerging issues that impact communities in the southeastern United States.  The current issue, New Alternatives in Small Business Financing, addresses small business lending in the wake of the recession.  The message … More Resources for Small Business Financing

New Year’s Resolution Poll

January 11, 2011

While the typical New Year’s resolution is abandoned somewhere around the long Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, there is a certain feeling of “anything’s possible” in the air during these first few weeks of January.  Now really can be a good time to set some goals.  Go ahead, think big.  If you don’t stretch yourself to do … More New Year’s Resolution Poll

Main Street Merchant Profile: The Yellow Button

January 6, 2011

The Yellow Button, a clothing boutique for the fashionable in the heart of Harrisonburg, knows its cutomer. Students and  professionals in the Shendandoah Valley don’t want to give up access to quality clothes and accessories just because they’re not in a major urban area. In fact, this 2009 photo shoot, which uses Harrisonburg’s downtown streets as … More Main Street Merchant Profile: The Yellow Button

Newsweek profile shows benefit of comprehensive approach

December 29, 2010

Newsweek’s  recent coverage of the ongoing turnaround of Vineland, New Jersey’s historic commercial district demonstrates the value of a coordinated approach to downtown revitalization. Their strategy involves increasing access to capital and technical assistance for emerging businesses, public and private re-investment in the rehabilitation of historic buildings, and community engagement in a downtown district.  Sound familiar? Read the article, “How to Save … More Newsweek profile shows benefit of comprehensive approach

Virginia Tech Students Help Green Businesses Emerge in Floyd

December 3, 2010

Floyd, Virginia is a small rural town located along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has a reputation as an artistic community with a rich sense of place. Maintaining its unique character and scale while fostering a vibrant downtown requires foresight, planning and creative community development.  Recently, four Virginia Tech students embarked on a project to help develop and attract new sustainable … More Virginia Tech Students Help Green Businesses Emerge in Floyd

Virginia’s quarter century communities featured in Main Street Now

November 16, 2010

In celebration of  Virginia Main Street’s 25th anniversary year, Main Street Now, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center, recently profiled the three communities that have maintained VMS designation throughout the quarter century. Over that 25 years, the communities – Bedford, Franklin, and Winchester – have  navigated rocky economic terrain with strategies that make the most … More Virginia’s quarter century communities featured in Main Street Now

Bedford’s arts strategy at work

November 2, 2010

Bedford’s arts-and-antiques strategy to give Centertown a retail identity builds on the community’s existing assets–the entrepreneurs who have establisthed retail and restaurant businesses in the district. Earlier this month Lynchburg’s News and Advance featured the district  in a story, “Downtown Bedford venues add life to arts scene“, profiling artists at work at the Electric Company studio spaces, diners … More Bedford’s arts strategy at work

Making your work uniquely you

October 18, 2010

Fast Company recently highlighted the award designed for this year’s graduating class at the top Dutch design school. Instead of a simple hood or diploma, The Design Academy Eindhoven has a special graduating trophy each year.  This year, the trophy was actually a set of medallions–one for each of the graduates–that created a pig’s head when stacked. It’s not as undignified as … More Making your work uniquely you