The Designated Virginia Main Street community of Farmville has a unique asset that few other Main streets in Virginia, or probably the entire country, can claim. Virginia’s newest state park, the linear 31-mile-long High Bridge Trail State Park, passes right through Farmville’s Main Street district. And the highlight of the trail, the 2,400-foot-long bridge that towers … More A State Park Runs Through It
No matter its size or product lines, every retail business must constantly work to create an attractive and inviting shopping environment. Here are a few tips from Entrepreneur.com to keep the customers coming. 1. Make the windows shine – “Just like your eyes are the windows of your soul, store windows are the eyes of … More Secrets to Good Store Layout
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 David Stone, owner and founder of Solid Stone Fabrics on being selected as a finalist in the Momentum Business category of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity’s (AEO) Power of One Awards. Stone founded Solid Stone Fabrics in 2003 and operates in his hometown of Martinsville, VA, a Virginia Main Street community who has seen … More Congratulations to Solid Stone Fabrics
Microenterprises, businesses with five or fewer employees, are probably some of the most common business start-ups on Virginia’s Main streets. These scrappy entrepreneurs bring energy and new ideas to empty store fronts and formerly boarded up buildings. So, it’s probably a good idea to know how the organizations that assist microentrepreneurs are doing. And that … More A Census of Microenterprise in the U.S. and Virginia
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
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a good story on the revival of the Draper Mercantile and Trading Company. The story will be one that is familiar to many on Main Street. The once thriving general store, the place where everyone once shopped, picked up the mail, chatted with neighbors and friends, doesn’t survive the coming of … More New life for an old general store
Virginia Main Street 