The shopping season is upon us and Main Street retailers are working hard to make the holiday shopping experience fun, memorable and easy. To help achieve this goal, retailers should give some thought to what types of shopping experiences they want their customers to have. What should customers be saying, feeling and experiencing while in the store? What … More Getting Ready For Holiday Shopping on Main Street
Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling presented Hopewell Downtown Partnership (HDP) with a ceremonial check for $7,500 as part of a Downtown Improvement Grant awards ceremony held Wednesday, Aug. 15 at the Beacon Theater in downtown Hopewell. The grant funding is the result of a unique public/private partnership that matches $2,500 in VMS funds with $5,000 from CSX Corporation. This … More Hopewell Celebrates VMS/CSX Grant
Virginia Living has just released its “Best of VA” list and many Main Street communities had businesses that made the list. Below are some of the first place winners from Virginia’s Main Street communities. Virginia’s Main Street communities also had numerous second and third place winners that can be viewed here. FIRST PLACE (Central/Living … More Virginia Main Streets make it into the “Best of VA” – we’re not surprised
Economic Development incentives are a component of economic development policy to encourage growth in traditionally impoverished or underdeveloped areas in the United States. Virginia offers a variety of performance-based incentives. From tax credits to tax exemptions, Virginia continues to demonstrate its willingness to invest in those who invest and reinvest in the commonwealth. While economic … More Incentives
Virginia exports are rebounding after significant declines in 2008 and 2009 during the recession, increasing by nearly 6 percent in 2011 to $18.1 billion, ranking it as the 25th-largest exporting state in the U.S. More than 83 percent of the nearly 6,600 companies that are involved in international trade, both imports and exports, have fewer than … More From Virginia to the World
Bristol, TN/VA is a unique place. “Two States; One State of Mind” is their motto, but navigating two sets of building regulations, garbage pickups, tax codes and general government type operations can get a bit confusing. However, Christina Blevins, executive director of Believe in Bristol, Bristol’s Main Street organization, bridges the gaps everyday in a positive, … More Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Bristol
Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the economy. They’re innovators, experimenters and risk takers, the driving force behind capitalism’s “perennial gale of creative destruction,” in economist Joseph Schumpeter’s evocative metaphor. So says Chris Farrell in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek. But Mr. Farrell goes on to remind us that entrepreneurs are not only young, brash, rule breakers. … More Entrepreneurs. Better with age?
Congratulations to Culpeper Renaissance, Inc., a 2012 Great American Main Street Awards® (GAMSA) winner. Recognized as a leader in implementing the Main Street Four-Point Approach®, embracing sound historic preservation practices and building strategic partnerships, Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. (CRI) was honored at the Main Street Awards Ceremony at the 2012 National Main Streets Conference in Baltimore, Md. The National Trust … More Culpeper – 2012 Great American Main Street Award Winner
Congratulations to the 14 designated Virginia Main Street communities that received Milestone Achievement Awards at this year’s annual luncheon. The luncheon, attended by nearly 100 members of the Virginia Main Street community, was hosted by DHCD Director Bill Shelton. Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng applauded the hard work and accomplishments of the Virginia Main … More 2012 Virginia Main Street Milestone Achievement Awards
One of the many services that Virginia Main Street (VMS) provides designated Main Street communities is access to the technical expertise available from the National Trust Main Street Center (NTMSC). Although the work of the NTMSC is always community specific, the observations and recommendations that are included in the reports are valuable resources for any … More VMS adds “Reports” page to blog
Virginia Main Street 