Are you looking for new and exciting ways to raise funds for a civic project, your Main Street organization or entrepreneurs in your community? The Local Crowd is a new crowdfunding platform that has been developed to help communities raise support for local businesses and projects. The Local Crowd can help you do several things … More Crowdfunding for Main Street
Guest Blogger Ken Heath, Director of Community and Economic Development, has been working for downtown revitalization since 1994 with the Town of Marion. Read his inspirational words and how it has taken over twenty years to get where the Town is today. Working hard at revitalization every day, and the job is never done. It’s … More Overnight Success, 20 Years In The Making
Beginning May 23-25, Virginia Main Street (VMS) staff and more than 25 staff and volunteers from the VMS designated communities are in downtown Milwaukee for Main Street Now, the National Main Street Center conference. Main Street Now is the largest nationwide gathering of commercial district revitalization professionals and community leaders in the nation. This year, the conference will bring together more … More Hello from Milwaukee: Main Street Now Conference this week
Sometimes our downtown business owners are busy minding their shop and cannot attend in-person training. Sometimes they have just an hour during lunch break to take advantage of a short class. Knowing these challenges, the Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator has teamed up with the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) and Washington County Virginia Chamber … More Small business training resource
The application deadline for the 2017 Building Entrepreneurial Economies (BEE) grant program has been extended through May 31, 2016. BEE grants provide resources to small business development organizations, local governments, planning district commissions and other nonprofit organizations that deliver services to entrepreneurs in new and original ways. Organizations may apply for up to $15,000 for … More Building Entrepreneurial Economies (BEE) grant deadline extended to end of May
Who knew you could support your local businesses from the luxury of your own couch? Don’t let that stop you from shopping in person in one of America’s most charming towns. Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia has been named ShopOnMain’s most “Charming Town” in America and will now be featured in an upcoming episode of the TV series “Small … More Seek the Unique and shop Downtown Bristol!
Often times, it doesn’t take a lot of funding to spark community energy. Read about Farmville Downtown Partnership‘s SOUP event and become inspired to host your own similar event. Guest blogger, John Burton, executive director for the Farmville Downtown Partnership, describes how this inaugural event was very successful for the small community. Good community, good music … More Farmville Downtown Partnership Awards $5000 At SOUP Event
Spring has sprung! Are you ready to shake off the winter blues and enjoy downtown? Check out some of the exciting downtown festivals happening in a Main Street community near you: Winchester: Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival – April 22-May 1 Culpeper: Gnarly Hops and Barley Fest – April 30 Harrisonburg: Rocktown Beer and Music Festival – April 30 … More Check out some great spring festivals in Virginia Main Streets
In February, Governor McAuliffe announced award winners for DHCD’s Industrial Revitalization Fund for fiscal year 2016. Of those, three were Virginia Main Street Communities: the towns of Bedford and Warrenton and the city of Lynchburg. The IRF program can help rehabilitate derelict structures into economically viable uses again. The Center for Community Progress also posted an article about … More Community blight has a cost and DHCD has a solution
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