Last week, Fiscal Year 2024 Community Business Launch (CBL) grants were announced, and $410,000 will assist the awarded communities with hosting a business curriculum and business pitch competition to fill vacant storefronts in their commercial districts. Grantees include three previously awarded communities, Lynchburg (Downtown Lynchburg Association), Covington, and Petersburg (Metropolitan Business League), as well as … More Six Communities Named FY2024 Community Business Launch Grant Recipients

While the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program seeks to bring increased vitality to the places people call home, Main Street empowers communities to set their own destinies and offers a road-map for locally-owned, locally-driven prosperity. Through the time-tested Main Street Approach, which is a framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization, your community, along with assistance from … More Getting Started With Main Street

In response to the increasing number of mural projects across Virginia, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) architecture and design firm, Frazier Associates, recently launched a technical briefing about murals and mural programs. The new Mural Tech Sheet is available online and covers best practices for mural program development and management, as well as community engagement … More Virginia Main Street Launches New Mural Tech Sheet

The Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE), a nonprofit resource center dedicated to helping nonprofits succeed, is excited to launch the 7 Actionable Principles for a Strong Social Sector. Building on themes from 10 discussion sessions with 67 community members, and several leading national frameworks for nonprofit health and impact, the 7 Actionable Principles aim to … More Firm Principles, Flexible Paths: Seven Actionable Principles for a Strong Social Sector

During the month of August, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) team published eight blog posts, highlighting the latest community vitality-related news, events and more! Here’s a recap: Harnessing Your Local Assets: Getting to that bright future Main Street-style is a combination of art and science: first you and your community need to learn about the local economy, its primary … More In Case You Missed It: August 2023 Digest

Our guest blogger is Jenny Crittenden, President and CEO of Retail Alliance, an organization serving the interests of local retailers in Greater Hampton Roads. In this blog post, Jenny discusses the critical insights that will be unveiled at the upcoming Virginia Retail Matters event in Portsmouth, Virginia on September 22 and why you should attend … More Empowering Virginia’s Main Street Retailers

Imagine your community worked together to identify key strategies that provide a clear sense of priorities and direction for your revitalization efforts? What would that look like? As a passionate advocate for your Main Street community, you are on a mission to harness all the things you love about your community for its future, a … More Where to Start for a Clear Sense of Priorities

Harrisonburg is halfway through their 10-week summer concert series featuring a diverse line-up of national artists. Thousands of residents and visitors have enjoyed the concerts that covered wide range of genres including jazz, soul, bluegrass, indie rock, hip hop, and mariachi. Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR) received a $90,000 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Award to … More The Shenandoah Valley is for Live Music Lovers!

This summer has seen a wave of pink splash onto Main Streets across Virginia. The new Barbie movie has inspired several of communities and their small businesses to participate in the phenomenon that has been growing worldwide. The buzz has provided a fun and creative means of promoting Main Street businesses, while joining in on … More Barbie’s Main Street Takeover

In most communities, there are buildings that are currently unoccupied for a variety of reasons. We all can agree they’re bad for downtown, and if they sit vacant for too long, these properties can have serious negative effects, harming the district’s image, economy and overall activity. They can result in: Lost Revenue: Vacant buildings mean … More The Cost of an Empty Building: Revisited